


Lovin' you is a gift

by softfonds



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Escort Harry Styles, Executive Louis Tomlinson, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Holidays, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pretty Woman AU, Strangers to Lovers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:29:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21610180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softfonds/pseuds/softfonds
Summary: With his 28th birthday approaching, Louis was looking forward to celebrating in New York City with an all-expenses paid trip. He just didn't expect to spend it with an escort when he suddenly finds himself single a few days before it. A Pretty Woman AU.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 64
Kudos: 569
Collections: 1D Christmas Fest





	Lovin' you is a gift

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Aura! Thanks for choosing this prompt and I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it :)
> 
> Thanks to Gloria and Miriam for giving me ideas along the way and betaing! And thanks to the mods for running this cute fest as well!
> 
> Title comes from Sia's "Everyday Is Christmas".

“Love?” he called out, dropping his keys into the bowl by the door.

Shrugging when he didn’t get an answer, Louis walked over to the kitchen to drop off his shopping bags. He decided to leave his office early for the day, wanting to make Josh a surprise dinner to make up for cancelling their date the other day. It wasn’t that he purposefully stood him up, but he had to finish a project that night, and he thanked Josh for understanding after cancelling. But he still knew he had to make it up to him somehow, and that’s why he left early to stop by the local grocery. He planned to make mushroom florentine, something that Josh seemed to like on their first date. They’ve been dating for a few months now, and he thought it was going well so far. Maybe didn’t feel like the one, but who had the time to look for The One in this economy?

But just as he started to take the spinach out from his canvas bags, Louis heard a noise come from the master bedroom. Josh didn’t have any pets, so it’s not as if an animal could be in one of the rooms. Frowning, he carefully made his way down the hall until he was standing in front of his door, jaw dropping as he heard tell tale moans coming from the other side. He’s watched enough porn and had enough sex to know exactly what was happening in there, especially when he heard more than one voice behind the door. With his hand shaking, he turned the knob and pushed it open, eyes going wide as he saw his boyfriend, well former boyfriend as of right now, getting fucked by a random bloke.

“Josh?” he shouted. He almost wanted to laugh at how comical it looked when both of the men turned their heads to him, faces full of horror as they scrambled to cover themselves with the sheets.

“Louis?” Josh yelped. “You’re not supposed to get here till seven!”

“Oh?” he sassed. He really couldn’t believe he actually dated his idiot. “So it’s _my_ fault I came too early and caught you instead?”

“Well-” Josh began. But Louis cut him off before he could reply.

“Oh no,” Louis laughed sarcastically, “I don’t need either of you stopping on my account. I just got off work early so I could cook you some dinner. Finish! Please!” And without waiting for another answer, he turned on his heel and walked back to the kitchen, quickly gathering his bags once he grabbed his coat. He could’ve just stormed off and left the groceries, but there was no way Josh deserved a free meal after what he did. Let the man who was fucking him by him dinner instead.

But as he sat in his car and took a moment to breathe, he couldn’t ignore the pitiful hurt in his chest. This was his first time having to deal with being cheated on, and it still pained him to think Josh was that unhappy with him to do that. Thankfully Louis didn’t care all too much about him, but it didn’t matter. It still hurt his pride to know something must have been wrong with him that he couldn’t possibly keep someone faithful to him.

Well, what’s done is done. He was just going to have to get over it somehow.

~

He allowed himself some days to mope and ended up blocking Josh’s number after the constant texts and calls he ended up getting afterwards. There was a mix of “I’m sorry” or “you just weren’t there for me enough” to “you’re so fit please take me back”. It really didn’t matter in the long run, but it didn’t help the sting that Josh still somehow blamed him for his infidelity. Yes, he took his work seriously, and he thought Josh understood it when they started dating and became exclusive. He guessed Josh couldn’t just wait a few hours to get some cock, in the end.

And there were good things that came out of it, as Zayn and Liam had told him after he called them while going through a tub of holiday chocolate. He didn’t actually love Josh in any way, so the heartbreak really wouldn’t last for long. And given that they were only together for a few months, getting over him was going to be a breeze. Zayn suggested he’d get under a man to get over the other, but there was no way Louis was going to start looking any time soon. He’ll leave his love life until after the holidays.

Now he was at work, two weeks before Christmas, and much like Santa Claus, he was working overtime in order to make sure all of the toys were ready to be delivered in time. He started working at Fairbanks Toys five years ago, having taken an internship there while still in uni and got a job offering once he graduated. And he was one of the lucky ones who actually enjoyed what they did: toy making. He was one of the lead designers on toys, taking from market research to focus groups to real world recommendations from his little siblings. The company was known for their flagship stores in London and New York, and Louis enjoyed the sense of gratitude he got from designing toys. Even with all the new toys coming into the market, he still like to design classic teddy bears, dolls, cars, trains, any type of toy that felt nostalgic to parents.

He sighed as he sat down at his desk, mentally preparing what other tasks had to be completed in the day based on the scattered papers over his desk. He really needed to get his receptionist, Sarah, to help.

As he finished deleting more of his text messages while at his desk, his desk phone began to ring.

“Hello?” he said after clearing his throat.

“Hi, Louis,” came the sweet voiced receptionist, Jade, through the line, “can you come see Mr. Fairbanks in five minutes? Sorry it’s last minute but he really needs to have a word with you.”

“Of course, love,” he murmured as he looked up at the clock on the far wall, “I’ll be up in no time.”

He sighed as the call ended, standing up to slide on his suit jacket.

“Hey Lou-” came a voice, looking up to see Niall walking in. “Oh, going out?”

“Yeah,” he answered, “Fairbanks wants to talk with me for something.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “I just wanted you to approve this shipment for the children’s drive but I’ll just put in on your desk. Mind if I walk you up?”

“Sure,” Louis said as he yawned. He really just wanted to get home and take a nap, and it wasn’t even lunch yet. The perks of getting closer to turning 30. “So, what’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Niall said once he closed the door behind him. “There’s those rumors that Mitch from Accounting has the hots for Sarah.”

“My receptionist?” he frowned as they got in the lift. “I thought she was seeing someone?” He didn’t always get to talk with her, given how busy they both were at times, but in the few times he’s gotten to know her since she started six months ago, he got the idea that she had a boyfriend of some kind. Not that it was any of his business; he just liked to know.

“Nope,” Niall answered, pushing the button to Mr. Fairbanks’ floor. “They broke up a few weeks ago, and now Mitch thinks he has a chance but they shy bloke won’t do anything.”

Louis thought for a moment. Just because he was miserably single now didn’t mean Sarah had to be as well. If she had the potential to like Mitch, she at least had to be introduced to him. “I’ll have Sarah go down to the accounting level to fetch me something. If you find a way, tell Mitch’s friends that _that_ will be his chance.”

“Thanks, Lou,” he grinned, planting a kiss on his cheek, “knew I could count on you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckled in response, wiping his face with the back of his hand. The door suddenly opened to the wide space of Mr. Fairbanks office, Jade sitting by her desk as she typed away.

“See ya at lunch!” Niall said as the doors closed again once Louis stepped out.

“Oh hi, Lou!” Jade grinned as she looked up from her work, glasses balancing at the bridge of her nose. “Mr. Fairbanks said to send you in straight away once you arrived.”

“Thanks, love,” he smiled as he walked over to the closed doors. He gave two hard knocks, hearing the okay to come in. Mr. Fairbanks office had wide windows overlooking the city, high enough that the people below looked like ants as they walked on the sidewalks. And at least it wasn’t raining, and the clear skies were something to look at for sure.

Mr. Fairbanks stood by his desk, looking down at some papers in his hand. He was a short, stout man with white hair on his head, complete with a white mustache.

“Louis! Take a seat right there, lad,” he said with a nod towards the chair in front of him.

“Hello, sir,” he smiled as he complied, with the old man going behind his desk to sit in his own chair.

“I don’t want to take up much of your time, so I’ll get straight to the point,” he coughed. “I just wanted to make sure you were all set for the company trip we’ll be taking next week?” he asked with genuine concern in his voice. “I heard someone mention that you weren’t feeling all too well – I think Jade may have told me - so I wanted to check in.”

And that’s when Louis remembered: The Annual Fairbanks Christmas Gala. It took place in New York City every year, drawing in thousands for their charity fund. Louis had never been before, given that he opted to stay for his birthday and Christmas with his family, but this year he had agreed to go after Mr. Fairbanks invited him. It was no secret the all expenses paid trip was only for the couples of their company, mainly as a “thank you” from Mr. Fairbanks for taking so much of their time during the year. Singletons of the company are given a weekend Valentine getaway to Dublin, which Louis did enjoy taking advantage of earlier in the year. But now Louis didn’t even have a boyfriend anymore, which meant he had to be honest and give up his spot on the trip. He had to be upfront about that right? Unless…

“I am, sir,” he smiled. “I’ve just been a little under the weather.” Well, no going back now.

“That’s it? Well I hope you get better! Go home early if you must and get some rest. I can’t have you sick on your birthday and the gala night, Louis.”

Come clean, Come clean, Come clean.

“Thank you for your concern, sir,” he smiled. “I’ll see how I feel after lunch, but I’m sure I’m well enough to stay for the day.”

“Well I hope you get better then,” he said with a smile. “And I look forward to meeting your boyfriend as well. But I didn’t catch his name?”

Name. Oh hell.

“Um-“ he thought for a moment. “I call him sweetheart, baby, darling, etc, but I think it’d be best if he just introduces himself to you,” and before the old man could answer Louis stood up to leave, “and if you excuse me, sir, I have to finish some important projects that need to be done today.”

“Of course!” he grinned. “Get back to work.”

Louis ran out of there as quick as he could, groaning at himself once he made it to the lift. How the fuck would he get himself out of this?

~

“Lads, I’m utterly fucked,” he announced as he sat down.

The panic from his spontaneous agreement had him panicking for the past hour, and he hoped his lunch break would bring him some relief. But since he was starving, he went down to the restaurant where the four of them usually met up for lunch, and thankfully the boys already had his meal ordered for him once he got there.

“Funny,” Zayn murmured as he forked through his salad. “Thought you liked to be the one doing that.”

Louis gave him a pointed stare instead. “I’m serious! How the hell am I supposed to go on a couples holiday without a boyfriend?”

“Did you really agree to go?” Niall asked as he swallowed his food.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Fairbanks asked me if I was still able to go so I lied and said yes,” he looked around to judgmental glares. “What? I deserve it! After everything Josh put me through I deserve to have some fun on me own. It’s not fair that I’d have to suffer over here while alone when I could be in New York.”

“But you have to bring someone along to go on that holiday,” Liam replied. “Everyone is going to notice you’re missing a plus one once you show up alone at the airport.”

And yes, he had thought about that. But he knew he could figure something out instead. “And that part is still being decided,” he grumbled.

“You could’ve just told Mr. Fairbanks you broke up and he would’ve understood, since it’s close to the holidays and all,” Zayn explained. “I think he still would’ve let you gone by yourself, since he was looking forward to having you at the gala with the rest of us.”

Louis really didn’t need to be reminded that this would be the second gala Zayn and Liam would be going to, and his competitive side only made him want to go even more.

“You could hire one,” Niall offered suddenly.

Louis couldn’t believe if he heard right or not, blinking back at him. “What?” He looked over to see Zayn and Liam looking equally puzzled.

He watched as the Irishman’s face slightly flushed in response. “I’ve never used it! But I have an old friend from uni who… is one.”

“Is what?”

“An escort. High class one and everything. He’s filthy rich because of it.”

And that’s when Louis’ jaw dropped. “You have a friend that’s an escort?” How did he never know that Niall was acquainted with an escort of all people? This was something that had to have been dropped into casual conversations in the three years that they’ve known each other. But Louis was sure he would’ve remembered something like _that_ being mentioned.

“We meet for drinks now and then,” Niall said with a shrug, “if he’s in the city.”

In the city. Well, he must be well traveled then, passport probably fatter than his checkbook. “I’m guessing his clients take him places,” Louis huffed. He wasn’t even sure if he was going to hire this man but he already felt a slight feeling of jealousy over it.

Niall paused for a moment. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first to be flying him somewhere is all I’m saying. If you hire him, that is.”

Louis thought about it in silence, leaning back in his chair as he did. It would solve his problem entirely, and he wouldn’t even have to pay for him since Mr. Fairbanks was paying for everything. He’d only have to pay for his… services? And he didn’t want to sleep with him in any way, thank you. He could get laid without having to pay for it. The only other option would be to go ask some friends if they wanted to pretend to be his boyfriend for a few days, but that just seemed to desperate. At least this escort would be a complete stranger.

“Do you want his number then?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” Louis grumbled as he held his phone out for Niall to take. “What’s he look like?”

“I think you should meet him for yourself,” Niall mumbled as he typed his number in, “if you do end up hiring him. Would ruin the surprise and all that if I showed you him. But I will say he’s pretty, long curly hair, nails painted depending on his mood. Your type for sure.”

“My type?” he squawked. “I don’t have a type, idiot.” He really didn’t like when people thought they had him figured out, even if it was his best friends saying it.

“You do,” Zayn nodded, “but you don’t want to admit it. Which is why I’m still trying to figure out what you saw in Josh.”

“But none of that matters,” Liam huffed. “Are you going to do it or not? You need to think of something or start asking friends around who would pretend to date you for a week.”

Louis paused for a moment, looking down at his phone. Well, it’s not like he could bring Niall and pretend they were dating or something. No, he deserved to go on a nice holiday after a shitty breakup. And he was going to do anything to get it.

“Maybe,” he answered simply. He looked around the table to see all the lads nodding sympathetically. At least they had his support in this.

~

Once he got home, Louis glanced at the number, wondering whether he should call. What the hell was he supposed to say? “Hi, I wanted a free work trip and need a date. Please let me know if you’re available? Oh, and I wouldn’t like to actually sleep with you, even if you are pretty.”

That last part was something he thought about a lot on his way home. It just wouldn’t feel right to pay for sex, even if Niall did say, for some reason, this man was his type. He would just be up front about it and say he was only seeking the friendly companionship and nothing more. That seemed reasonable right? He sighed as he sat up a bit, pressing the call button. Luckily, or maybe thankfully, the voicemail came up instead.

“You’ve reached my inbox,” came a deep voice, “Leave a message after the beep.”

With a gulp, Louis took a deep breath and started to speak, not wanting to dwell with how amazing this escort sounded already. He was probably fantastic at phone sex.

Nope. Not going there.

_Beep._

It came out rushed and he literally forgot everything he had planned to say, but whatever. He did it. Once he was done, he put his phone on his nightstand and turned off all the lights, hoping this Harry fellow wouldn’t think he was a fool before he even got to meet him in person. If that was even going to happen.

~

Harry sighed as he walked into his flat, trying to stretch his back for the fifth time tonight. His home was empty, as usual, but the faint smell of roses and birch from the candles he lit earlier still lingered in the air. In the corner of his living room stood a small Christmas tree, a gift from his mother after she realized it had been years since he put one up. It’s not like he ever felt in the holiday mood anyways, but he couldn’t refuse anything from his mum.

As he walked by his mirror in the hallway, he already saw the dark bruises starting to form around his neck, complimenting the fresh love bites on his pale skin.

“Perfect,” he muttered as his fingers ghosted over the marks. At least this was his last client for a while, so he wouldn’t have to be keeping himself blemish free for another client. With Christmas about two weeks away, he decided he would take the month off and fly off to somewhere remote. Maybe Jamaica, or Bali. Or Bora Bora. Anywhere that didn’t include dealing with older men for a bit.

At least the money was worth it, though. No matter how many literal rough romps he had in a night with men, they always paid more than his regular fee and he never complained about that. It helped him pay off his loans, buy a flat with nice security and very rich neighbors, and save up for his future all in one go. So, he deserved to treat himself every now and then. After all, his body _was_ a product he was selling, and he had to find ways to keep himself happy. It was all part of the system.

Right now, he decided it was time to take a bath with the expensive oils he loved to use after a long day, washing off the sweat and grime from earlier. He deserved it. Simple as that.

After stripping himself bare and putting his hair in a loose bun with an accompanying pink headband before applying a soft peach clay mask over his face, he slowly eased himself into the steaming bath, the warm water easing the ache of his muscles. After the way Daniel had used him earlier, he knew he needed this so he wouldn’t get moody.

Once he got a good ten minutes of marinating himself and washing his stress away, he glanced over at his phone that was perched on a nearby towel. He had noticed quite a few voicemails in his inbox on his way home, and he knew it was going to annoy him all night if he didn’t check them now.

With a sigh, he put it on speakerphone as he went through the messages. Some were spam calls he had to block later, but most were some of his clients asking to see if he was available in the coming weeks. And that was a big fat no. He was going to tan in the nude on some beach in the middle of nowhere and forget about cold London and its kinky men.

It wasn’t until his ears perked up at an unfamiliar voice speaking into the quiet of his bathroom, a soft, velvety voice that Harry was already kicking himself for not having met him before. Whoever he was.

“Hi, um-” the man let out a laugh. “Sorry, I’ve never really done this before. Look, I’ll get straight to the point, yeah? My name is Louis Tomlinson, and I work for Fairbanks Toys with your friend Niall. I need a date to go with me to New York City for the holidays, and he said you’d might be available to do that? Please let me know if you are so we can meet somewhere, and I can explain the situation better. Give me a ring, yeah?”

And then it clicked off.

Well, maybe Harry _should_ reconsider his beach holiday. He hadn’t even booked it yet, and there was something in that soft voice of the man that made him want to stay behind. After all, he did say he’d like to meet first before hiring him. A sort of interview date with Mr. Soft Voice?

There was just something in his tone, his cadence, his… voice just that sounded so comforting. Almost like a voice he felt at home with.

“You haven’t even met the guy, idiot,” he muttered to himself. For all he knew, Mr. Soft Voice could turn out to be another Daniel or the other men he fucked for a living: never totally respectful towards him, just wanted him for his body and a good fuck. And Niall surely wasn’t recommending him for the simple companionship Mr. Soft Voice would be.

It wouldn’t hurt to try, though. After all, work is work.

So, he picked up his phone and typed out a reply

**H: Hello. I just got your message and I’d love to meet. Let me know when and where, Mr. Tomlinson xx**

~

Louis was a pile of nerves as he sat at the booth, foot tapping anxiously against the hardwood floor. Taking another swig as his martini, he put down his phone as he looked around the fancy bar. He wasn’t one to go out much, but he knew some of his co-workers would meet here for drinks when they felt like going out for the night. Wouldn’t this be the perfect spot to meet the man then? He’d like to think so. Hopefully the other man agreed.

Or what if his clients have already taken him here? Louis knew what entailed with hiring an escort: it meant others, many others, had used him like he was about to use him. Probably not in the same way, but it was still strange to think this was going to be a simple business transaction instead of two people simply meeting to get to know each other. And the man did this all the time.

He was going to let his brain overthink everything once again, but then his eye caught someone walking into the bar. He had long hair, almost reaching where his nipples should be, delicate soft curls falling over his face. He wore a sheer black shirt with embroidered pink roses along his chest, giving a coy glance at his nipples. On his legs he wore black bell bottomed jeans, clearly showing off how small his waist was before the rest of the fabric ballooned out.

In all, he looked beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And Louis damn well hoped that was in fact the escort.

And he must’ve done something right in a past life, because the hostess he was whispering to pointed in his direction, and Louis quickly locked eyes with his across the room.

That was him. It had to be.

Louis should’ve had the right mind to look away as he walked towards him, but he just couldn’t peel his eyes away. He was the most beautiful man he’d ever seen in his life. What’s a simple gay man to do in a crisis like this?

“Like what you see?” And with no shame, Louis let his eyes travel up his body until he met the other man’s eyes, which happened to be greener than he ever imagined. His chocolate curls looked angelic in the low light of the bar, almost glowing from within. His face looked soft, supple. Like he bathed in rose water every day to keep it that smooth. In short, this man truly was breathtaking.

“Hi,” he breathed out, feeling the warmth from his hand as they shook. His nails were painted bright pink, and his fingers adorned with rings of all sizes. “I’m Louis. Louis Tomlinson”

“Hello,” came the deep voice, “You can call me Harry. Pleasure to meet you.”

Oh. That voice was already putting ideas in his head that were not suitable for the evening. He was literally sex on legs, though. No wonder he did this for a living. “Harry huh?” he chuckled. “Is that your fake name? Actually, don’t answer that. None of my business.” He knew better than to pry into the private life of someone.

A smile played on the man’s lips as he sat down, sliding into the booth carefully, looking as if he was waiting for Louis to continue.

“So,” Louis coughed. “Let’s get down to business shall we? I want to thank you for even meeting me, really.”

Harry smiled. “I would say your message was rather intriguing.”

“And desperate,” he deadpanned.

“Only slight,” the other man shrugged. “Not enough to turn me off entirely. Usually I’m the one begging, you know.”

Suddenly the imagine of Harry on his knees, maybe tied up, begging for… something, just put too many ideas in his head.

“Of course,” he coughed, trying to shake away the thoughts in his head. “Of course you do.”

There was a hint of amusement in the other man’s eyes, as if he was trying to read him without giving away too much. It wasn’t a hard stare, but soft.

“So you need a date for New York?”

“Yeah,” Louis nodded. “Basically, I need to have a date to go on this all-expense paid trip my boss does for his married or committed employees and their partners. There’s a big charity gala on Christmas Eve that’d we’d attend too. And given that I don’t have time to go find the love of my life and I recently broke up with a boyfriend, Niall gave me the idea to just hire someone to go with me instead so I can go.” This was the part he expected Harry to call him out on his desperation, but instead of a bewildered glance he got a sympathetic one.

“So you chose someone like me to do that?” Harry laughed. “Why not just ask a friend to help you out or something? Not that I’m desperately not looking forward to getting paid to sleep with you but,” he said with a head tilt, “I would like to know why you’re not making this easier on yourself.”

Louis’ eyes widened as his brain short circuited at the “sleep with you” part. And did he hear correctly? “Desperately looking forward”? As in he was attracted to him as well in some way? That couldn’t be possible. Louis wasn’t _that_ lucky in life. “About that-um. Sleeping part?”

“Yeah?” Harry said with an eager grin. “Do you have any things you want to try? I’m very open minded when it comes to it, kinks and all. We have to discuss everything beforehand but if you want to spit in my mouth-”

“Oh no,” he replied, cutting him off before he could finish a sentence like that. He was pretty sure his cheeks were the color of sundried tomatoes at this point, and he didn’t want to turn into a blushing mess so soon in front of him. He had to maintain some form of dignity while he could. “I don’t need us to sleep together for this. I’m only paying you for the role as my boyfriend, and that’s it. Nothing physical between us. No… sex.”

Harry was staring at him like he was suddenly speaking another language. “So no sex,” he repeated. “At all?”

“Yeah,” Louis said while shaking his head.

The other man seemed to be lost in thought. “Well, I haven’t had a companion role in a very long time. I guess you save some money then.”

“Really?” he asked. “How much would I have had to spend if I wanted?”

“Extra 2 thousand.”

Louis’ jaw almost dropped. “Two thousand? For sex?”

“Yes? I’m good at what I do. And that’s _per_ night,” Harry smiled, grinning so hard a dimple appeared in his cheek. Of course this angel bastard had to come with dimples, which Louis was just finding out he had a thing for.

Louis scoffed. “You better be one of the best shags of the century to be charging that much for sex.”

“Well,” Harry leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, “if you don’t want to find out you can’t really give a customer satisfaction survey now can you?” he said softly, almost as if he was challenging him.

But Louis wasn’t about to give in to a brat like that. “Do you actually have one of those?” he grunted out instead.

“Not really,” Harry said with a shrug, “their reluctance to let me leave their bed plus the many gifts I get the next day say enough I believe.”

Harry’s probably had hundreds of men lavish him with gifts at this point. Was his entire outfit a gift? Did he get off on wearing gifts of his other clients in front of new ones? Why did Louis even find himself caring about that in the first place? It’s not like Harry was his at all.

“Alright then,” Louis coughed. “So do we have a deal?”

“I believe we do, Mr. Tomlinson. Oh,” he paused in thought. “I do ask that you send me a clean STD test. I’ll show you mine as well. I know we’re not planning on sleeping together but it’s still part of my protocol.”

“Reasonable,” Louis agreed. “And your rate?” It just occurred to him they hadn’t discussed it, but Louis thought he might end up spending his savings just to have Harry pretend to be his boyfriend for a week.

“Six thousand,” Harry said simply. “Without the sex, of course.”

Louis’ jaw dropped, but he quickly shut it before he said something he’d regret later. He needed to bring someone along, and if that was what it would cost, so be it. “I’ll wire you the money then,” he nodded. “And of course, no sex.”

“Perfect!” Harry answered, a satisfied smile on his face.

They decided to talk a bit more and then leave together.

“So I’ll pick you up to go at the airport on Friday?”

“Of course,” he smiled. “I’ll be waiting, sir.” And before Louis could answer, he felt the other man’s soft lips brush against his cheek, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. And with a self satisfied grin, Harry pulled away as he stared back at him. “Couldn’t resist.”

It was going to be one hell of a week, that’s for sure.

~

For the next few days, Harry got himself ready to go in every way possible. He went to his favorite spa to get a massage and facial done, and even got a nice manicure done as well: red glittered for the holidays.

After making sure he left his flat clean, the next thing to pack were his bags. He packed his soft, cashmere jumpers he’s gotten as gifts over the years, along with a few knit wool ones, the cream color being his favorite. Sex toys were an obvious place in his bag as well. Hey, if Louis wasn’t going to be fucking him, then he at least deserved some action for himself in other ways. Of course he had to add a few of his lingerie outfits as well in case he had to make Louis realize what he was missing. Not that he was looking for extra cash, but he was just so fit. He wouldn’t mind finding out how exactly Louis Tomlinson was in bed. Was he a tender lover? Secretly into water sports? Had more kinks than Harry ever had? A secret freak? What made his toes curl? He just wanted to peel back some of the layers of that beautiful man.

Then Thursday finally came, and Harry was satisfied with all that he managed to pack into the suitcases. After having a small breakfast, it wasn’t long before he got a text that Louis was waiting in a car outside. Just as he got his two bags out the door and was locking his flat, he definitely didn’t expect to see Louis coming out of the lift, wrapped in a navy blue wool coat and cream scarf, somehow making his eyes shine even brighter than Harry remembered. Those eyes even managed to smile when they met his own, the older man briskly walking towards him and grabbing a suitcase.

“Louis?” he chuckled, still not believing he was there. “How’d you get in?”

“Oh,” he smiled to himself. “One of your neighbors was leaving so I slipped in to help you take your bags down.”

“You didn’t have to,” he coughed, trying not to let the sweet gesture get to him. He never had one of his clients try to wait on him like that before. He quickly got into the lift next to him, glancing over at his other suitcase that Louis was firmly holding onto by its handle. “I could’ve gone down by myself while you waited in the car.”

“Oh none of that,” Louis laughed. “I knew you’d probably have some bags to check and I couldn’t let you come down by yourself. Besides,” he said gripping the handle tighter with his hand, “this one is pretty heavy and you don’t need to be handling two of these.”

Harry looked at him. “Well thank you, Louis.”

“You’re welcome, love,” the other man answered with a smile, just as the bell dinged that they arrived at the lobby. The cold air of the season hit his face with a blast as he walked outside. He was thankful he put on all his moisturizers as usual.

A man was waiting bedside the rented car, taking both of Harry’s bags so he could get in the car.

“Ready to go then?” Louis asked once he slid inside, taking his phone out of his pocket. “Traffic seemed fine to go to Heathrow so it shouldn’t take us too long.”

“All packed and ready for cold New York,” Harry chuckled. “Can’t be worse than this weather, I guess. I’m sure I’ll find some love to keep me warm,” he said with a grin. And he quite enjoyed the blush the appeared on the older man’s cheeks. He wondered how often he could make that happen during their week together.

There barely was any traffic as they made their way to the airport. Check in was a breeze as they both checked one bag each, and security went by quickly as well. Before he knew it, Harry was folding his heavy coat into his arm while Louis slipped on his shoes again. The other man looked quite handsome in his grey jumper over a button down, sleeves raised to reveal his toned forearms. His hair was styled into a loose quiff, keeping his longer strands of his hair out of his face. It only left Harry wondering how it would look without any product in it. Maybe early in the morning…

“What’s our gate again?” he asked before he could get even deeper into his thoughts.

“B18,” Louis said without looking up, fitting his belt on again. “They start boarding in about fifteen minutes so we really cut it close.”

“But we made it,” Harry concluded. He assumed Louis wasn’t the type to be late to these sort of things, but he’d just have to figure it out what kind of person Louis was the longer he spent time with him. Like any other client really.

“That we did, love,” he smiled, finally ready to start walking towards the gate.

They passed by families clearly on their way to tropical places, Harry slightly envying their holiday. He would’ve preferred to be somewhere warm for Christmas, but then he would’ve had to miss being with Louis. Sacrifices had to be made in this economy. He smiled to himself as he realized Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" was playing overhead, wondering if Louis would notice.

“Okay,” Louis murmured. “All of my co-workers are probably at the gate now, including my boss, so now is the time to act like a proper couple. Zayn and Liam, my friends and an actual couple, know about you so if you ever need help just look for them as well.”

He decided to ignore the friendly advice and focus on the first part of his statement, though he did tuck the information away for later. “Holding your hand enough?” Harry offered. “Or do I have to gaze at you like I’m ready to suck your cock at any given moment?”

He enjoyed the blush on Louis’ cheeks yet again, but the man didn’t crack. “Hand holding is perfectly fine,” he coughed, offering his own.

Harry grinned as he took it, squeezing their fingers together. He liked how smooth and warm the other man’s hand felt.

“Wait!” he whispered. “What’s your fake last name?”

“What?”

“Your fake last name. I can’t just say your name is Harry, especially if they want to greet you formally.”

“Oh,” he answered, not giving it much thought. “Styles.”

“Styles? Harry Styles? That’s sounds so fake and absolutely perfect,” Louis laughed, and Harry tried not to look affronted as they continued to walk. That was his real name, thank you very much. At least Louis didn’t think it was real, because he really had no business giving out his real name to a client that was practically a stranger. But something told him to just say his actual name and hope for the best.

“Hello, all!” Louis said in a cheery voice as he approached the group. Harry found at least six pairs of eyes at him at once, including an old man who he assumed was Mr. Fairbanks. There was also a couple that approached them and given that one of them put their arm around the other’s shoulders, it was clear they were an actual romantic couple.

“You finally made it,” said the one with puppy dog eyes.

“Almost thought you’d chicken out,” the one with a nose ring grinned.

“Harry,” Louis said. “Allow me to introduce you to Liam and Zayn.”

“Pleasure,” Harry replied sweetly as he shook each other their hands. He continued to shake other hands as more people approached them to introduce themselves. Eventually, an old man with white hair was standing in front of him, eagerly shaking his hand.

“So you must be Harry?” he said with a big smile. “I’ve been meaning to meet Louis’ boyfriend for some time! What an absolute pleasure to meet you. Ernest Fairbanks, at your service.”

Harry couldn’t help but smiling wide at the greeting. “Pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Fairbanks. Harry Styles, at yours.”

And that’s when he felt Louis’ arm hug him around his waist. He was momentarily shocked by it, but he quickly got over it and leaned into it instead, loving how tight he held him.

“I’m glad you like him, Mr. Fairbanks,” Louis chuckled. “But not as much as I do, hopefully.”

Laughs came along the crowd, and before anyone else could reply, they started calling boarding classes for the flight. That meant Louis had to let him go to get their things, which Harry didn’t like one bit. So once they had they joined the line of business class, Harry snuck his arm in the crook of Louis’ arm, smiling as he looked over to the surprised glance from the other man.

“You wouldn’t want me to trip before I even get on the plane,” he said simply, holding on tighter.

“You’d manage to trip on a carpeted floor?” Louis laughed as he shook his head. “How is that not surprising?”

“The more you know, darling,” Harry replied with a smirk. He wasn’t all too surprised that he was able to fit perfectly with Louis like he did with most of his clients when they were in public, but it did surprise him how fast and easily they fell into their roles. That would definitely make the next few days enjoyable for both of them.

Once they were sitting in their first-class seats, Harry buckled himself into the window seat while Louis finished putting their luggage in the overhead compartment, sitting down in a huff once he was done.

“So a seven hour flight, huh?” Harry said as he snuggled under his blanket.

“Yeah, babe,” Louis said with a yawn. “I’ll be watching a film if you need me.”

Harry looked past him to see Liam and Zayn sharing a blanket on the other side of the aisle, looking like they were ready to sleep the entire flight. “You won’t take a nap then?”

“Nah,” he replied. “Flights get me nervous, so I just stay up and keep myself busy instead.”

Before Harry could stop himself, he ended up replying with, “If you let us get physical, I could help you relax with a blow job once we’re in the air.” And, well, it’s not like he was lying. He’d be down on his knees the minute Louis agreed to it.

But luck wasn’t on his side, because Louis simply blushed as usual and refused. “You’re very kind, love, but I won’t be needing that in public.”

In public? Maybe Harry had a chance in private then. He still held his hand once they took off, which Louis seemed to appreciate as he gripped him tight. There was no use in staying up if he wasn’t about to give some head, so Harry decided it was best to put his earbuds in and drift off to sleep. But as he rested his head against the pillow on his left, he felt a strange feeling that something was missing. As if he couldn’t possibly go to sleep when Louis was literally right there next to him looking all handsome.

So he did the next best thing, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, made that kitten noise he knows his partners love, and snuggled himself against Louis’ shoulder. He felt the man stiffen underneath him, but surprisingly relaxed pretty fast. He even reached over and helped cover him more with the blanket. Harry didn’t have to open his eyes to feel the way Louis was looking at him, hopefully with fondness before he turned back to his screen.

Maybe Louis was going to be a fun client after all.

~

Once they arrived in New York, they were ushered into waiting vans for the Marquise Hotel, one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. At least that’s what the website had said when Louis looked it up. It was beautifully decorated as they walked in, garlands and tinsel everywhere as they air smelled of balsam. He was going to ask Harry if he’d ever been there, but he stopped himself before it could leave his tongue. Of course he had. One of his clients must’ve taken him to be pampered here at some point in his career, and he really didn’t feel like finding out how it went or how it would compare to the comparatively mild holiday they’re going to share.

“Alright everyone listen up!” came a voice, everyone turning to see Karl, Mr. Fairbanks assistant, standing on something as he said his announcements. “Everybody go check into your rooms! You all have about three hours before you need to meet us for dinner at the Italian restaurant just down the street from here. Feel free to text me any questions!” And with that, the crowd started murmuring to each other as they planned the rest of the day.

“Um,” Louis looked around, eyes landing on Harry. “I’ll go check us in? You can wait in those lovely armchairs if you’d like, babe.”

“Oh those look nice. I’ll stay with him,” Zayn offered as he glanced at the empty chairs by the fireplace. “Liam can go get us checked in as well.”

“Of course I will,” Liam smiled as he nodded towards Louis. “Let’s go then?”

He didn’t like the idea of leaving Harry alone like that, but he could trust Zayn at least. The only thing that worried him is if some of his co-workers approached Harry and he didn’t know what to say. But Zayn would be able to cover for them, so he relaxed. They rolled their bags down the long hallway to other end of the lobby, passing by other hotel guests on the way there.

“So how’s it going so far?” Liam asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Swell,” Louis sighed. “He’s absolutely perfect.”

“I’d say,” Liam chuckled. “Zayn was right. He’s totally your type. And you’re really not going to bed him?”

“No!” he hissed out. “I don’t need that with him.”

“If you say so,” Liam grinned, quieting down as they approached the desk.

“Hello and welcome to New York!” came the cheery front desk clerk. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, with a festive red outfit as well and red lipstick to match. “Are you all a part of the Fairbanks party?”

“Yes,” Louis nodded.

“Wonderful!” she answered as her nails clicked against the keyboard, and after a few seconds she pulled up two keycards with a mini folder.

“So you will be in one of our Honeymoon suites, located on the twenty eighth floor just below the skyline. Give your bags to the valet over there and we’ll have them sent up immediately.”

“Thanks, love,” Louis smiled as he went back to find Harry, Liam finishing up with the other clerk as well. Luckily, it looked like he was getting along fine with Zayn, as they seemed to be in animated conversation. They were sitting by the fireplace, in wide arm chairs still in their overcoats.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Liam said as they approached, “but I would like to take a nap before we have to meet back for dinner with Fairbanks. And I’d love for you to join in our room,” he smirked at Zayn.

“I wouldn’t mind a cuddle,” his fiancé said with a grin, turning back to Harry, “We’ll catch up at dinner then, yeah? Lovely talking to you, mate,” he said as he got up and gathered his things.

“See you lads,” Liam called out as they walked away hand in hand with their bags.

“They’re going to welcome their new bed with a good shag is what’s happening,” Louis mumbled, watching them walk away.

“Well at least that’s what couples do,” Harry said as he got up as well, taking his scarf off for the first time since the airport. Louis noticed how beautifully chiseled his jaw was in the warm light, and it almost made him want to place kisses along it. “But someone doesn’t want to carry on that tradition,” the younger man continued with a pointed stare.

Louis blinked back at him, eyes widening as he caught his intention. “You know perfectly well why we aren’t doing that,” he whispered with a grunt. “Now let’s go up so we can get some rest before the dinner.”

“If you say so,” Harry said with a shrug.

They took the lift up together in silence, the bell ringing to announce they reached their floor. With Louis making sure Harry didn’t trip on anything while walking out, they made their way down the hall until they reached the correct room.

“I call dibs on the bathroom,” Harry said suddenly. “I need a good shower to clean off the airport smell.”

Louis discreetly took a whiff of him as Harry walked in, and decided there was nothing rancid about his smell. In fact, he still smelled like a bouquet of roses; fresh and heavenly. He wasn’t about to tell him that though. That almost seemed too coupley, for starters, and they weren’t even around people to act that way in the first place.

“Take all the time you want, love,” he responded instead. Their bags were already left in their room before they got there, but as Louis went to open his own, he heard an audible gasp from somewhere else in the suite.

“Harry?”

No response.

He walked over in the general direction he remembered Harry had disappeared to, and found him standing in the middle of the living room, which was beautifully decorated with beige sofas and a small Christmas tree standing near the window, looking up at the ceiling.

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered.

Louis walked over to stand next to him, following his gaze until he was looking up as well, smiling as his eyes focused on what Harry was watching. The ceiling was painted in a cream rendition of the night sky, with constellations painted in black as they dotted the space. There was a crystal chandelier in the center of the space, and each star seemed to have a diamond at the center as they scattered around the sky. Louis took one astrology class during uni but couldn’t remember much of it. But as he looked over at Harry, the other man’s eyes were simply filled with wonder as he looked up.

“I’ll have to agree with you,” he said softly, “even though I can’t tell what the hell I’m looking at.”

“That cluster over there,” Harry said as he pointed to the left, “is Andromeda, daughter of Cassiopeia, who is over,” he paused as he looked around the room, “there! Thanks to her mother bragging about her beauty to the gods, Andromeda was chained to a rock as punishment until Perseus saved her.”

Louis must’ve looked bewildered once Harry turned to face him. “What?”

“I didn’t expect you to know that much.”

“A professional slut can’t have knowledge?” he huffed. “I did finish uni you know.”

“Really?”

Well, it wasn’t right to make assumptions in the first place. There’s no reason to believe Harry didn’t have some intellectual capabilities just because he sold his body around. Hell, his mind is most likely part of the reason he gets clients as well. He is there for company after all, and it’s not always physical. And judging by how drawn he was to Harry without having to sleep with him, his mind was more than enough to attract people to him. Harry was just that special, it seemed.

“Yes,” Harry said simply, and Louis knew he would leave it at that. He could dig into that for another time.

“You’ve probably stayed in hundreds of rooms like this haven’t you?” Louis remarked causally. “It can’t be _that_ amazing.”

“Yeah,” Harry said as he still looked around the room. “But I like this one all the same. Company’s nice too,” he said with a wink.

“You probably say that to all your clients,” Louis chuckled, wishing he was lying though.

“Wouldn’t you love to know,” Harry giggled, slightly rocking himself as he looked up at the ceiling again, eyes glittering in astonishment.

Louis didn’t feel like interrupting the moment, but he knew they had to unpack for tonight. “Would you like to see the rest of the suite?”

“I guess,” Harry sighed.

When they walked into the bedroom, it was hard to ignore the gigantic four poster bed sitting in the middle of the room. With knit blankets folded at the edge and an electric fire place to keep them warm, it looked incredibly cozy. If he was there with an actual boyfriend, he wouldn’t mind spending the day under the covers, exploring ways to keep each other warm. But that couldn’t happen with Harry. Of course not.

“Oh,” Harry said, “And only one bed?”

As if he hadn’t noticed that part as well. Luckily, he had a solution. “Yeah,” Louis nodded, “which is fine because I’ll be fine taking the large couch over there-”

“Oh fuck off,” the other man giggled, “that bed is gigantic and there’s more than enough room for the both of us. You won’t even have to touch me if that’s what bothers you about it.”

Louis swallowed carefully. “Do you really want to share a bed?”

“Why not?” Harry asked with a quirked brow. “Think you’ll succumb to my charms anyways?”

Louis laughed, hoping his nervousness didn’t shine through. “Well I’m not used to sleeping with strangers.”

“I do it all the time, love,” Harry said simply, “and there’s nothing strange about it.”

Louis really wanted to ask him what he meant, but just as he turned around he only saw the door to the bathroom close.

Well, this was going to be interesting.

~

Somehow, Louis managed to undress himself enough to take a comfortable nap on top of his, well their bed, while Harry was doing who knows what in the shower. He hadn’t realized he fell asleep until he saw Harry’s gentle hand shake him awake, his towel wrapped head peering over him.

“Louis?” he heard him say softly. He wishes he always heard Harry speak like that.

“Yeah?” he said with a yawn, looking him over. Besides the towel around his head, he was also only dressed in a plush red robe, which had his initials embroidered over the breast, and of course he must have brought it with him in one of his suitcases. The dramatics of it all. It also made him wonder if that too was a gift from a client, special enough to bring it along with another client. “Need something?”

“No,” he chuckled. “I just wanted to let you know the bath is free now if you need to freshen up. We have about an hour before we need to go down to meet your co-workers for dinner.”

“Is this your way of telling me I stink?” he said lightheartedly.

Harry laughed, dimpled cheeked and all. “No,” he giggled again, “I actually like the way you smell right now, but it feels great to get the airport smell off me. Thought you might like it too.”

“Thanks, love,” he said with a yawn as he rolled off the bed. “I’ll do exactly that.”

And he’s glad he did listen to Harry, because twenty minutes later he emerged a new man once he was done grooming himself. By then Harry had already dried most of his hair, with pretty ringlets hanging off his face as he tugged on a burgundy cashmere jumper. Louis might have seen how toned his chest, particularly his nipples were, before he covered himself completely, but Louis didn’t need to tell anyone that.

“So where is Mr. Fairbanks taking us?” Harry asked as he walked out of the room.

“We’re supposed to meet at this Italian restaurant that’s two blocks away,” Louis replied, “but since we’re going in the cold air you still need to bundle up.”

“Way ahead of you, babe,” Harry chuckled as he stepped back into the room, already in his wool overcoat and red scarf around his neck. And once Louis got his coat on as well, they walked out together, hand in hand in case they were met with any of his co-workers. But Louis had to admit he liked holding his hand anyways, whether for show or not.

~

“So Mr. Styles,” Mr. Fairbanks says, “Why on earth has Louis been hiding you for all these months?”

They arrived on time with the rest of Louis’ co-workers, still holding Harry’s hand as they were lead to the large reserved table they were going to eat at. The restaurant had a very homey feel, with low lights and candles all around. Columns around the area were decorated in ivy and red tinsel, clearly ready for the holidays.

Louis was sitting beside Harry, with Zayn next to him followed by Liam. And since they were waiting for their food to arrive, Mr. Fairbanks began to talk with the rest of the table, and to no surprise, Harry was the most exciting member there.

“Well,” Harry grinned after taking a sip of his iced tea, “you’ll just have to ask him yourself.”

Louis coughed before answering. Perfect way to deflect, really. “I just liked to keep our relationship private. Separate work from persona… l you know what I mean?”

“I can see,” Mr. Fairbanks chuckled, “but I don’t know if Mr. Payne and Mr. Malik can understand you on that level.”

The entire table laughed as Liam raised his glass with a grin, “And we are immensely lucky to have found each other thanks to Fairbanks Toys, sir.” And Zayn sealed the effort with a quick peck on his cheek.

“I’m more than glad you both happened!” Mr. Fairbanks said. “And I do wish you and Harry a lifetime of happiness, even if Harry isn’t one of my employees.”

“And we thank you, sir,” Harry replied as he looked over at Louis, who felt his heart jump as their eyes meant. It almost felt like he meant it.

Luckily, the rest of the night went better than expected. Once their plates were brought out, Harry was able to make small talk with everyone at the table, which really shouldn’t have come as a surprise for Louis, but it did. Watching Harry charm his way into everyone’s lives was breathtaking to watch, and it almost made him want to keep him in his life. Maybe in another lifetime, they could’ve met a normal way and dated like regular people. He just loved the aura Harry had, especially when he was showing off his charm.

But it wasn’t until they were alone in the hotel lift that he noticed something different with him. Quieter, trying to make himself smaller.

“You did marvelous,” Louis said gently, hoping he could ease his worries. “Everyone adores you.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. “It got hard near the end.”

Louis frowned. “What do you mean, love?”

“I know how to turn it on when I can,” Harry sighed, “but now I’d love a good bubble bath while Enya plays in the background. My battery needs a charge.”

Now that did shock him. “Not the social butterfly then?”

Harry shook his head. “Not always. After a while I need some space for myself, letting it all bask in. I can even take a few days to recharge if needed, depending on how draining an event must have been. But I still love being around people all the same. Just need breaks sometimes.”

Louis never felt the drain of being around people, but he did enjoy his alone time more than anything. It looks like they did have something in common. “Didn’t really peg you as an introvert,” he chuckled, “considering-”

“My job requires me to let a bunch of men fuck me for a living?” he laughed. “Don’t judge a book by its cover, mate. I have needs of my own that need fulfilling.”

And judging by the expression on his face, Harry probably didn’t realize how loaded that statement was. How was Louis not supposed to think of what kind of needs Harry had that needed to get fulfilled? Was he inferring that they weren’t being met with his clients?

“Do they get fulfilled?” he asked before thinking.

“What?”

Louis felt his cheeks redden. “Do you… get fulfilled? Like, your clients take what you want into consideration.” This was not the proper conversation to have in a lift of all places but the wine must’ve gone to his head.

And Harry seemed to realize that, because his expression became unreadable as he stared back at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he said softly. And before Louis could reply, the bell rang for their floor.

~

As Harry was washing up, Louis decided some of his expensive flannel pajamas would look best to go to sleep in. If it were any other night he wouldn’t care, but it’s not every night that he gets to sleep with a gorgeous man right next to him.

But when Harry emerged from the loo, he instantly regretted his choices. He was wearing loose shorts and an old band shirt, complete with his hard nipples poking through the fabric.

“Is that what you wear to bed?”

“Yes?” Harry frowned as he got under the covers. “I mean I have slips, but it’s not like I really needed them on this trip.”

Louis’ mouth watered at the thought of him in a slip. “So why did you bring them?”

“If you won’t fuck me in them,” Harry grumbled, “I just might find a fit New Yorker that will. So they could be of use later”

“You’ve got to be joking,” Louis said with a deep frown.

All he got back was a smug grin. “It’s my holiday too, you know, Mr. Tomlinson. I should be able to enjoy myself.”

And that was just the stupidest logic out there, Louis thought. It’s not like he was getting any on the side as well, so why should Harry get to go looking? Well, it was his idea in the first place that they wouldn’t be sleeping with each other, so Harry did have every right to go get himself laid. But still, that didn’t mean he should. Instead of fighting though, he simply turned out the lights and got into bed as well. “I just hope you have a lovely time in New York,” Louis said simply, and turned his back to him.

~

The next morning, Harry woke up feeling a bit tense. Most likely because the fit man he was sleeping next to did not rearrange his organs into the mattress last night. A pity, really. And judging from the morning wood the other man was sporting, a complete waste of good cock. His eyes traveled upward until they landed on his face, his expression peaceful in every way. His hair looked ever so soft without product in it, wispy feathers going in all directions of the pillow. His eyelashes looked good enough to kiss as they fanned the tops of his high cheekbones, the bottom of it already needing a shave.

And after last night, he actually found himself enjoying this holiday. Louis’ co-workers were a delight, and they weren’t like the typical posh executives he had to deal with on the regular. He even thought he could be friends with that one couple if he really wanted to, Liam and Zayn, but maybe in another life. They wouldn’t want to keep an escort in their inner circle, no matter how friendly they were to him.

And Louis? Well he certainly was more than he ever expected. He thought he would find a snob under all that expensive cologne, but he found the complete opposite. Extremely humble with his ways, and clearly had a heart of gold. Easy to make blush, yet still not a pushover.

Louis really was beautiful, and Harry didn’t know what he did to deserve not getting the life shagged out of him.

There was no point in starring though, so Harry decided to carefully move out of the bed and start to get ready on his own. But Louis seemed to be a light sleeper, blinking his eyes open as Harry got off the bed.

“Morning,” he yawned as he stared at him.

“Good morning,” Harry said softly, looking away quickly. He didn’t want him to know he’d been staring at him for way more than necessary. “So where are we going today?” he asked casually as he went to brush his teeth. He wanted to know what to dress for exactly.

“Well,” Louis sighed. “It’s Saturday, and we basically have the day off. I thought I’d take you shopping?”

“Really?” Harry perked up, sticking his head out of the bathroom. He didn’t really expect for Louis to spoil him (given that he didn’t even want to sleep with him), but this. This was a wonderful surprise.

“Yeah?” Louis chuckled as he sat up in the bed, hair looking softer than ever. “Just as a thank you for doing all this. Is that alright with you?”

“More than alright,” the younger man said. “Then get your bum out of bed and get dressed then! We have no time to waste!” and with that he slammed the door shut so he could properly get ready. If Louis was going to spend the day spoiling him, he had to look his best. And that meant warm leggings that showed off his legs, a cable knit green jumper with a white cashmere scarf. Maybe even some lip gloss.

Anything to make himself feel pretty, and without a doubt make Louis compliment him a bit. He was ready to be shown off.

~

Louis thought it would be a nice idea to take Harry shopping, and after seeing how low he got after the dinner last night, he knew today would be the perfect time to take him. Harry probably wasn’t expecting to get spoiled with gifts, but he didn’t exactly want to look like a cheap client, even if he was only paying him for friendly companionship. And once Harry emerged properly dressed in an adorable outfit, Louis was ready to throw his entire wallet at any cashier and buy out any store Harry wanted.

They went to a few department stores, with Harry getting some expensive new Gucci perfume that he’s been wanting. Also bought some cashmere jumpers in colors that he didn’t have, and Louis happily charged them on his card.

But his favorite moment was probably they were browsing Tiffany’s together, and Harry couldn’t take his eyes off one particular item, no matter how many times they circled the store. Louis saw how his gaze stayed on an olive leaf ring, with the leaves circling to form the circle. It was gorgeous, and he couldn’t help the way his heart jumped at seeing Harry look at it.

“Do you like that one?” he whispered.

Harry nodded slowly in response.

“It reminds me of your laurels.”

“What?” Harry said with wide eyes.

Louis felt his cheeks flush. “It’s not my fault you walk around topless sometimes, babe.” It’s not like he could ignore the perfect laurels at the base of his stomach just begging to be kissed.

Harry simply smirked in return as Louis asked a jeweler to see the ring. It fit perfectly on Harry’s pointer finger, with the older man admiring the way it looked to delicate with the pairing of his nails.

“It’s gorgeous, Lou,” Harry whispered. “Thank you.”

Louis felt his mind almost short circuit at the nickname, almost as if Harry hadn’t realized he had said it. “Just add it to your collection of rings, love,” he said softly. “A token to remember are time together.”

“Yeah,” Harry breathed out, still admiring it as Louis paid for it. It probably wasn’t healthy of him to think of what he would do to keep Harry happy like that forever, but he didn’t care. It gave him joy to see him with joy, and that was all that mattered.

They decided to have lunch at a typical American place, complete with burgers and fries. They talked about regular things, favorite colors (Pastel Pink for Harry, Ivy Green for Louis), places they’ve visited around the world (visiting Brazil was fun for Harry, while Italy was Louis’ favorite place to holiday in) as they scarfed down their food, but it wasn’t until Harry ordered some dessert that things really got interesting.

“So,” Harry said. “Tell me something you’d never admit to your closest friends.”

Louis almost choked on his ice cream. “What?” he coughed out.

“We’re never going to see each other again after this,” Harry shrugged, “so your secret is basically safe with me. It’s not like I’ll have anyone to tell – well, maybe Niall – but I’m a good secret keeper. So why not? You can ask me anything after.”

Well, he had a point. Harry was basically a stranger to him and talking to strangers about secrets was almost better than telling people who knew you best. Besides, there was something familiar about talking to Harry anyways, so he didn’t think he would blab about it to anyone; even if Niall was begging.

“I um-” he laughed. “I’ve actually never told anyone this, but I’d like to be a children’s book author. Not that I’d like to stop working for Fairbanks, but I think I’d like to put a story out there for the public to read.”

“Really?” Harry asked, genuine interest on his face. “Any ideas for books?”

“I do actually,” he chuckled. “Just this book about a couple of rainbow bears falling in love and learning about gay history in the process. Did you know Hadrian was gay? Or Alexander the Great? Something simple yet informative for young kids, knowing their love isn’t taboo and that people like them have always existed. Like us really.”

“Wow,” Harry said softly. “You should. I actually have minored in English and took a class on children’s lit. I think there’s a big market for a book like that, not to mention the kids you’d be helping with it.”

“Really?” Louis asked, his turn to act surprised.

“Can’t believe an escort finished uni?” Harry chuckled. “I double majored in Astrology and Art. All-around well-educated slut if I do say so myself.”

Louis didn’t know whether to continue staring at him or laugh. “You’ve never told me that,” he said simply.

“Why would I? It’s not exactly an inspirational story or anything to brag about. I got my degree and couldn’t find decent work for it, so I ended up doing that instead.”

The older man frowned. “Is that really how you became an escort?” He never thought to ask him about it, even if it did interest him to know at least. But if Harry was willing to share, he was willing to listen.

“I mean, there’s not much to say,” Harry shifted in his seat. “I had a lot of student loans to pay off, and… I found someone who helped me pay them off faster. I got paid… a lot after that one night. Decided I might as well do that if I don’t know what to do with my degree yet.”

Yet. “Saying ‘yet’ makes me think you only saw it as a temporary job. Did you just decide to stay for good then?”

“When I make enough to retire by the time I’m thirty, I couldn’t really stop once I paid off my loans,” he smiled sheepishly, “but I do miss the learning aspect of school. I loved drawing all the time or picking up books to study.”

Louis thought for a moment. “Do you want to go back then?”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “But I don’t really have the time to be doing that right now. Don’t have the energy really.”

“You could always retire,” he offered.

“Retire?” he chuckled. “This is all I know how to do.”

“Judging by your lifestyle,” Louis replied, “I can make an educated guess that you’re set for life with how much you’ve made over the years. Why not retire and start doing things you like?”

“I-um,” Harry started, “I don’t think I’d enjoy it if I’m honest.”

“Why?”

Harry looked as if he was genuinely looking for an answer. But in the end, decided not to.

“Have you decided what to get for dinner?”

Given the topic, he was fine letting it drop. It wasn’t like he was going to force Harry to reveal his darkest secrets right then and there, especially in the middle of a busy restaurant. No, those were reserved for people who had trust between them already. And like Harry said, they were merely strangers to each other.

~

The next day, Harry had to wait while Louis met with some co-workers for a work breakfast with Mr. Fairbanks, so he ate a breakfast tray that Louis had sent up for him. As he munched on his toast while wrapped in his robe, he thought about how the past two days have been with Louis.

He enjoyed getting spoiled yesterday, admiring the ring he still kept on his finger. It genuinely surprised him when Louis said it reminded him of his laurels, which he didn’t even think Louis had seen. It was just nice to know that he was paying attention to him in way he hadn’t noticed; it made him feel wanted in a way.

Then they had their talk in the diner, and Harry didn’t feel like admitting the real reason he didn’t want to quit escorting yet. It seemed too… pathetic to admit to anyone. He wasn’t going to admit that to Louis anytime soon anyways. But he wasn’t able to get Louis’ children’s book out of his head since he mentioned it, thinking of how the bears would look in such a book.

Without thinking twice, he went over to his bag and pulled out the watercolor set he always traveled with, getting everything set up on the coffee table by the couches.

He drew two bears in various positions and outfits: bears at the beach with their thongs and swimsuits, bears dressed as Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, bears dressed in togas, bears dressed as Oscar Wilde, and finally: bears dressed for their wedding. He didn’t know if one should wear a wedding dress at all, but in the ed he decided to put one of them in it for the fun of it. He then decided to do a self-indulgent one, with the bears in BDSM gear. As he spread his sketches out across the table to admire them, he loved the inspiration dump the book gave him.

He decided to try one more: bears dressed as drag queens, eagerly dripping his brush in the bright colors as he painted away.

“What have you got there?” came a voice behind him, and Harry froze. He wasn’t really expecting to show these to Louis, but…

“Just some drawings I made,” he said without looking up at him. “Your bears idea just inspired me, and since I had time to spare I decided to draw them.”

“Wow,” Louis breathed out. “You’ve got a lot of talent, Harry. I never even thought about dressing them as Freddie and David ha!” he laughed as he saw the sketch.

Harry looked up to see his eyes land on the BDSM inspired one. “Well, that’s not for children at all,” he chuckled.

“Purely self-indulgent,” Harry said with a blush.

“Are you the one with the collar?”

Harry swallowed. “Quite possibly,” he said in a casual tone.

“Figured,” Louis said lightly. “Anyways, I love them all, darling. Can I keep one of them?”

The younger man blinked up at him. “You really want them?”

“Of course!” he giggled. “This is basically the first fan art I have of my book, and it’s made by you.”

Harry couldn’t help but feel proud of himself then, especially with how carefully Louis picked up each sheet with his art.

“These are so sick, Harry,” he whispered. “I really mean it.”

“Thank you,” he said, still feeling the blush on his cheeks. If he couldn’t please his client in the bed, at least he could make him proud in other ways. He just didn’t think his own art would be the way to do that.

“Well as much as I’d like to admire your work, love,” Louis said, “I’d like it if you got dressed so we could go out today.”

“Where are we going?” Harry asked as he packed his supplies up.

“You’ll see,” Louis said simply. “Just go get ready so we can be off.”

Harry shrugged, quickly scurrying away so he could choose an outfit.

~

“Fairbanks Toys?” Harry giggled.

Instead of taking a cab, Louis told him it’d be faster if they simply walked the five blocks that it took to get where they were going. Which is why Harry felt like a literal popsicle once Louis told him to stop walking and look up. His nose felt like it had frozen up already.

“The famous New York flagship store,” Louis grinned as he grabbed his icy hand and pulled him inside. Thankfully the heat was on full blast, and Harry finally got some feeling in his face back. He looked around in awe, noticing how fantastic the decorations were. There was a huge stairwell that led to the upper level, with every banister wrapped in a festive garland. Christmas trees and menorahs were in every corner of the store as children and their parents walked around with their shopping bags full of toys.

That’s when he noticed Louis pull a bag himself and start to load it with some teddy bears, dolls, books, and toy trucks.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked as he followed him, watching as he carefully inspected each item. “Do you have any secret children I don’t know about?” He started to wonder if Louis was a father after all, judging from the amount of toys he was planning to by despite working for the company.

“I don’t have children,” Louis laughed, “though I’d love some in the future.”

Harry frowned. “Then why are you buying all these toys?”

Louis paused as he picked up another doll. “I forgot to mention this,” he said bashfully, “and you don’t have to come along if you don’t want to, but on Christmas day I’m going to a local children’s hospital dressed as Santa so I can give the kids some toys. I usually do it back home - whether I’m spending it in London or Doncaster - and I’d hate to miss out because I’m here. So, I had Karl give me a hospital that needed some visits and I volunteered.”

If Harry had ovaries, they would be melting right then. If there was one thing he found the most attractive in men besides their physical appearance, it was men being great with kids and having a genuine care for them. It probably stemmed from his desire to want a family since he was a teenager but… it was super attractive. “You… really do that?” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” Louis said simply. “I adore them and if there’s a chance I can put a smile on a face that needs it the most, I don’t hesitate. If my own kids were going through that, I’d like to think someone would show them the same kindness. So, stuffed animals, dolls, trucks, anything they’d like, I buy for them.”

“That’s truly wonderful, Louis,” he said softly. “I like it when people give animals as toy gifts, anyways. Nothing is more annoying than people trying to gift animals for the holidays without bothering to look up how to care for it in the long run.”

“I like your thinking,” Louis chuckled as he picked up a stuffed dog to put in his bag.

It’s been a good while since Harry thought about having a family and children, but just hearing Louis talk about it really… awoke those feelings in him. Not that he should be thinking about Louis in that way, but it would be nice to have that. Maybe with someone who just looked like Louis and talked like him. Yeah, that was it.

The rest of the day was spent with some more shopping for the children in other stores, complete with buying gift baskets for their families and the nurses as well. Harry liked to donate to all the animal rescues he could find along with gay charities, so it was really nice to know Louis was not only an attractive, soft hearted executive, but also had a complete heart of gold underneath those layers as well.

~

“You’re leaving me?” Harry squeaked. And Louis really had to laugh at how disgruntled he looked sitting up in the bed, the covers a mess around him.

It was Monday morning, and Louis was already dressed to go to the local Fairbanks offices while Harry was still looking disheveled in their bed. And no, it hadn’t been any easier waking up next to a fit man every morning, but Louis was able to survive.

He turned back to the mirror to finish tying his tie. “I’m not leaving you, Harry,” he chuckled. “I just have to go to the office for a few hours for the gala tomorrow. Some boring stuff to approve and all that jazz. You’ll be fine.”

“Sounds like abandonment to me,” he huffed. “What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”

“Anything your heart desires, love,” Louis said. “Just don’t get into trouble. And I’d rather you’d stay here since I wouldn’t like to go looking around all of New York if I come back and you’re off somewhere.”

Harry continued to pout. “So I’m like Rapunzel just locked away in a tower until you return?”

“You can be any princess that your heart desires, love,” he laughed. Honestly, Harry didn’t seem to be a morning person when it didn’t suit him, and it was hilarious to watch it in play.

“Can you fetch me my robe?” Harry asked in a sweeter tone.

Louis arched a brow as he turned to him again. “And you can’t get it yourself, princess?” He knew his robe was, for some reason, on the sofa in the other room.

“It’s the least you can do before you abandon me,” the younger man said simply.

With a huff, Louis walked out of their bedroom to go grab the plush robe. He still felt a bit of jealousy wondering if it _was_ a gift from another client, and he had to see it all the time. He walked back into to see Harry diving back into bed, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Louis decided to ignore it as he passed him his robe, Harry smiling sweetly up at him. “Thank you, babe.”

“You’re welcome,” he chuckled. “Well I’m off. You have my number if you need anything, and I’m leaving my credit card on the table if you want to buy yourself something.”

“Okay,” Harry singsonged. “I can’t promise I won’t bring up strange American men so I can finally get a good shag, though.”

Not that Louis needed to be jealous about that, but he still narrowed his eyes at the thought. “No one in my bed, understood?”

Harry simply shrugged as he put on his robe. “I’ll try to behave myself. Can’t promise anything.”

“Harry,” he warned. “I mean it. No strangers up here. Learn to entertain yourself for a few hours.”

All he got in return was a smirk from Harry, looking utterly pleased with himself. “Don’t worry, Louis. I’ll be a very good boy until you return.” And he didn’t believe a word of that as he shrugged on his own coat and left their suite.

~

Mr. Fairbanks was seating near the front of the table as one of his co-workers led a quite boring presentation about what would happen tomorrow at the gala. It would be in a large ballroom downtown, and they were supporting a variety of charities that they’d chosen. One of them happened to be the children’s hospital he was going to visit on Christmas, smiling to himself as they got mentioned. But the rest of the meeting was just simple semantics of what was going on, and he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention.

Luckily, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, wondering who could be texting him. He swiped up to see Harry’s name appear in his notifications, slightly frowning as he opened it.

**Harry: Wearing something special. Left the remote in your bag if you want to play.**

And another text with a link to his Instagram.

Louis felt his pulse drop. Remote? He didn’t really need to be paying attention to this stuff, so he carefully dug around his bag until he felt something round and foreign. That was definitely a remote but…

He decided to open the link, lowering the brightness of the screen as he scrolled through the pictures with thousands of followers. They were definitely not safe to be showing to his co-workers, but thankfully the guy behind him was snoring softly so he couldn’t be sneaking a glance. Harry’s ig handle wasn’t even his name. It was something with “sugar baby” in it, but he didn’t bother trying to pronounce it because Harry’s profile suddenly alerted that he was going live.

And he almost dropped his phone once he opened it. Since he was near the back of the room, he discreetly put an airpod into one ear so he could listen.

Harry was wearing a red slip adorned with white fluff trim, looking ever so festive and slutty at the same time. He was showing it off in the mirror, with the phone paying special attention to his bare legs.

“Hi everyone,” Harry giggled, a nipple peaking out from under the slip, “it’s just snowing outside of my hotel room, my man left for the day, and I’m kind of bored.” And it almost made Louis see red all of the comments from men going “I would’ve never left you” to “turn around and show your ass”. Maybe it was the fact Harry really referred to him as his “man”. Which… he almost wanted to be.

Harry seemed to be reading the comments and giggling, turning his phone towards the window instead. “So cold out there, and yet no one to keep me warm…” he trailed off.

Louis almost wanted to comment something himself but resisted. He watched as Harry flipped the camera to the front few, showing that he put on red lipstick to match his outfit. His curls looked extra soft and bouncy, and he felt the urgent need to touch them through the screen. But then Harry started to talk again, flinging himself on their bed.

“I think I should do a story time,” he said easily. “Maybe favorite places I got laid in?” All the comments were mixtures of “YES” to simple eggplant emojis, and Harry smirked in response while Louis’ mind short-circuited yet again.

Grabbing the remote from his bag, he quietly excused himself as he rushed out of the conference room, doing his best speed walk to the bathrooms. He quickly locked himself in one and sat down on the covered toilet, taking out his earbud as he raised the volume on his phone.

“I think my one of my favorite places was when this guy took me to Paris. He took me sightseeing at the Eiffel Tower, and afterwards he bought me some cute lingerie and ate me out while I wore it for him. In our hotel room of course,” he grinned.

Louis felt his open fist clench in response. He had no right, or even reason, to feel jealous, and somehow he just wished he had been fucking Harry all this time so he wouldn’t be teasing him like this. It’s his own fault really for deciding to not sleep with his escort before meeting him; he sure as hell wouldn’t have had that rule if he had seen Harry first. But rules were meant to be broken right? He dug in his pocket until he fished out the remote from earlier, holding it firm in his hand as he continued to watch.

“No one has ever fucked me in front of a fireplace sadly. That’s been a dream of mine. Oh, but one time I actually went down on a man in-”

_Buzz._

Louis watched as Harry’s lips parted slightly, his eyes widening and fluttering. And then, a knowing smile at the camera.

“Glad you could join, sir,” he laughed breathlessly, biting his lower lip. “But where was I? Oh yes, so I think my most favorite shag was when –”

_Buzz._

Harry physically jolted, a small cry coming from his lips. “I think I might be having a little too much fun with this, gents,” he giggled. “I need to take care of something. Toodles.”

Louis managed to get a few more buzzes in before Harry cut off the video, enjoying how he was writhing against the bed cover.

And well, that pretty much sealed the deal for where their relationship was going. He quickly pulled up his messages and texted out a reply.

**Louis: I’ll be there in 40. Don’t even touch yourself until I’m there.**

~

Harry waited excitedly on the bed, slowly fucking himself with the vibrator as he felt the random buzzes appear here and there. He didn’t think Louis would accept his offer that easily, but he was all too glad he did accept any way. It was killing him to be near such a fit man and not be able to do anything about it, especially when his main job description _was_ to sleep with his clients. There were some clients in the past that he would’ve rather not slept with if it hadn’t been for the money, but Louis was not in that category at all. Hell, he’d even sleep with him for free if he could.

The main door opening interrupted his thoughts, and the excitement bubbled inside him as he heard footsteps get closer. He decided to be standing by the bed instead of laying on it, just to show off how good his red slip looked in person. And as soon as Louis stepped into the room, Harry felt his heart rate beat faster than it ever had before.

“Hello, Lou,” he said softly, leaning back against one of the poles of the bed. “I-”

Instead of a response, Louis crashed their lips before he could finish, hands coming down to his waist as he pulled him closer. He loved how strong his hold was around him, a hand caressing his curves as he continued to kiss him. Harry had been hoping to find out what kind of kisser Louis was, and he relished in the fact he was tender as he did it, starting out hard at first while it melted into soft plushness, his tongue eventually exploring his mouth.

“You’ve been very naughty, haven’t you?” he whispered against his lips.

Harry bit his bottom lip in response. “And what are you going to do about it?” And that’s when he felt another vibration against his prostate, almost collapsing if it weren’t for Louis’ arms around him. He really should’ve known his other hand was still holding the remote. “You fucker,” he moaned out, throwing his head back to enjoy it a bit more.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he said huskily, kissing along his neck, each touch feeling like his lips were on fire.

“Then hurry up, _sir_ ,” he whispered out, and with that he was gently pushed against the bed until he laid his back on it, easily opening his legs to give Louis better access. Still fully dressed in his work clothes, Louis climbed over him until his arms boxed him in.

“You drive me crazy,” the older man whispered against his cheek, nipping it carefully.

“So, will you fuck me?” Harry panted out. He had been hard for the past hour, thanks to his handy vibrator keeping him like that, and he could feel how hard Louis was against his leg.

“Yeah, baby,” he whispered, “I need you.” And with that, he felt the other man’s hand graze over his stomach until he touched his cock, gripping it lightly through the silk before traveling further down. “Can I?” he asked gently, and Harry nodded furiously in response.

Feeling the way Louis was able to use his hands, first to carefully take out his vibrator and replace it with his fingers. It brought a new wave of heaven that no one had ever made him see before, and Harry thought he was going to come from that alone. Between Louis’ lips giving gentle bites to his nipples that peaked out from the deep cut of his slip to the way his fingers opened him up, he was in pure bliss.

Then he watched as Louis pulled back slightly, unzipping himself from his trousers. Harry felt around the duvet with one hand until he felt the bottle of lube he had thrown on the bed earlier, popping it open as louis held his hand out. He felt himself spurt out precome as he watched Louis slick himself up, mouth almost watering at how thick he actually was.

And as he gently eased himself in, Harry saw stars as he felt himself get full. He knew in reality it wasn’t taking that long, but if felt like hours went by as Louis slowly fucked into him, getting a nice rhythm with every stroke. He loved the way his biceps flexed as Harry grabbed onto them, not realizing how toned he actually was.

“Oh, baby,” he moaned out and that pet name coming from his lips made him come on the spot, spilling under his slip, watching as a wet spot formed on it.

“That,” Harry panted, “was amazing.”

“Fuck,” Louis replied, still catching his breath. “You are worth the money.”

Harry felt himself smiling at the statement but couldn’t ignore the little dark feeling that was growing in his chest. It made sense that Louis only saw this as a transaction, and it made no sense to see it as anything else, but… even this quickie just felt… like something he hadn’t really felt before. He told himself he would have slept with Louis for free anytime, and he still stood by that statement even after they did it.

“You didn’t even undress,” Harry giggled, trying to distract himself from his inner thoughts.

“I was that hot for you, babe,” he chuckled back, his blue eyes meeting his own. And maybe, maybe this was enough. Just three more days of tender fucking, and then he’d never see him again. It was better than getting none of him.

~

After being convinced to change out of his outfit, Louis took him out to shop for a nice suit to wear at the gala, Harry enjoying himself as he modeled each outfit for him. He even got to sneak in a few kisses in the changing room once Louis came to try some on for himself, but they stopped in case someone came by.

They got back to the hotel room by the time the sun had set, holding their bags from the shop.

“Are you ready for your birthday tomorrow, Tommo?”

“Birthday?” Harry asked as he turned to Louis.

“How the hell did you not tell him?” Zayn asked as he turned to Harry. “He’s turning 28 tomorrow.”

And Harry actually did feel affronted that Louis didn’t tell him, especially when it was such an important date that he had to spend without his family. But Louis seemed to understand his frustration, placing a hand around his waist and easing him closer to him.

“I rarely tell people since I don’t want attention on meself,” he explained. “And I almost forgot about it had it not been for these two reminding me. And with the gala being tomorrow, my mind was very much there instead of thinking only of me.”

“He’s right,” Liam said. “Tommo barely talks of himself when he’s worried about other things. And if you excuse us,” he said as he grabbed Zayn’s hand, “we’ve got a dinner reservation to get to.”

“Bye, lads,” Zayn waved as they walked away.

“See?” Louis said easily, squeezing his side. “A total slip up on my part, love.”

“I guess,” Harry sighed. “I still wish you could’ve told me. I would’ve gotten you something.”

Louis leaned in closer until he lips were almost touching his ear. “If you give me yourself, naked, that would probably be the best present I’ve ever gotten. Besides that Nintendo I got when I was ten.”

Harry felt his cheeks flame up as he swallowed. Well… “So, I’m present enough?” he asked.

“More than enough,” Louis whispered.

And when they got to bed later that night with Louis taking him again, Harry thought it felt like his birthday as well.

~

Louis woke up in the middle of the night with Harry’s back against his chest, making him the big spoon as he cuddled him closer. He quickly fell back asleep after that, breathing in as he nuzzled Harry’s curls. It wasn’t until the sun was up that he woke up without Harry in his arms, but instead with his mouth on his cock.

Just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, he carefully reached down a hand, grabbing a fistful of curls as Harry moaned around him, sending delicious vibrations through his mouth.

“Well good morning to you too,” Louis groaned, watching Harry stop sucking him with a loud pop. “What’s the occasion?”

“Just thought a birthday boy would like to way up to blowjob?” Harry said innocently, batting his eyelashes at him. And well, Louis really couldn’t say no to such a kind request. And after a good half hour of edging him to his peak, he came blissfully in his mouth, watching in awe as Harry swallowed it all.

“Good enough?” Harry asked hoarsely, throat still sore from it all.

“Absolutely perfect,” Louis answered, pulling him up so he could taste himself on his mouth, reaching a hand down to get him off as well.

After taking a shower together and while Louis was styling his hair how he liked it, he watched in the mirror as Harry practically ran out of the bathroom as someone knocked on their door. Frowning, he followed him out but decided to wait at the edge of their bed.

The younger man then emerged with a few cupcakes on a tray, each with a lighted candle sitting on the frosting.

“Twenty-eight candles for twenty-eight years,” Harry grinned as he brought them over to him. “Now make a wish!”

“You didn’t have to love,” Louis giggled, unable to contain his smile. “But alright, here goes.” He thought about a decent wish in his head, opting for the less selfish one, and blew out the candles in one go.

“Yay!” Harry laughed. “Now eat up if you want this to be your breakfast. Can’t have you fucking me on an empty stomach. Or do you want me to fuck you?”

Louis almost choked on his cupcake. “Well,” he coughed out. “I’m fine fucking you for now babe. Your ass is literal heaven.” And he enjoyed the way Harry’s cheeks reddened at the compliment, and Louis decided he might as well make his other cheeks red as well, if he’d let him.

“Thank you,” the younger man replied, biting into his cupcake, getting some frosting on his nose. Louis took the liberty to lick it off, and soon they were back to snogging on the bed, cupcakes put on the nightstand as they threw their towels off.

“Since it is my birthday,” Louis said easily, kissing him for the thousandth time, “mind if we try a few things?”

He was fully prepared for Harry to be wary or say no, but instead he watched as the younger man moaned in response, arching himself against him. “You can do whatever you want to be, babe,” Harry panted. “I love being used.”

And with that, Louis took full advantage of bringing them every pleasure imaginable for the new few hours. It was his birthday after all, and with someone like Harry to keep him company, he was going to enjoy every second of it.

~

A few hours later, they arrived fully dressed in their new suits to the gala, brushing off the fresh snow that had settled on their shoulders. They both had to take another shower after all the come they got on themselves, and Harry’s freshly blow-dried curls looked angelic against his crisp suit. There was a mini red carpet for the arrivals, Louis proudly holding onto Harry’s hand as they stood for some photographs. He tried not to laugh as he watched Harry walk in front of him as they went inside, a slight waddle to his walk. It was nice to know he had a reminder of their morning antics.

“It’s beautiful,” Harry whispered to him as they walked into the ballroom. And Louis had to agree as he looked around. There was a giant Christmas tree in the center of the room, with people already taking selfies in front of it. Louis decided he needed to get a picture with Harry later on, maybe make Liam take the photo.

They found the Malik-Paynes eventually, both of them wishing him a happy birthday. The foursome went around the room as they greeted other guests, and even played some games together. Harry won a pair of red plaid onesie pajamas in a raffle, giggling as he showed Louis.

“His and hers?” he laughed. “More like his and his.”

“Wouldn’t mind if you fuck me in them tonight,” Harry whispered as he leaned in closer, making sure the others wouldn’t hear. And well, Louis wasn’t about to deprive himself of him any longer. It was his birthday after all.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied, kissing his cheek as Harry beamed back at him.

They sat together at their assigned table once people made speeches for each of the charities that were being benefited tonight, and he noticed how soft Harry’s face got when they introduced the animal and children charities. He seemed to be taking a mental note of them for later, like he would donate more than what was asked of him.

“Tomlinson!” Mr. Fairbanks said as he approached them near the drinks area. “I hope you’re having a lovely birthday, my boy.”

“I am,” he said with a smile as he looked at his date, “and Harry surprised me with cupcakes this morning. Lovely lad I’m dating really.”

“And I made him blow out the candles as well,” Harry grinned.

“Well I hope you made a spectacular wish. But that reminds me, may I have a quick word with you?” he asked Harry, and that’s when Louis started to panic. Did he suspect something?

“Um,” Harry glanced over.

“Of course, Mr. Fairbanks,” he smiled, “I’m going to see with Liam and Zayn are up to so I’ll just be over there once you’re finished.” He leaned over and kissed Harry’s cheek gently before whispering him to stay calm.

He walked away with a quick look back, seeing Harry smiling as Mr. Fairbanks started to talk to him.

“Where’s Harry?” Zayn asked as he approached them.

Louis sighed as he looked back where the pair was standing. “He’s talking with Fairbanks.”

“What?” Liam gasped, discreetly looking over his shoulder to spy on them. “What does he want with him?”

“I have no fucking clue,” he said as he swallowed down the rest of his drink. “Has he been taking other people’s partners aside to talk with them?”

“Not that I’ve seen,” Liam said with a head shake. And that just furthered his worries as he chewed on his lip. Was it possible Fairbanks caught on that they weren’t actually a couple and wanted to quiz Harry on it? Would he even be punished for lying like that?

Thankfully, Harry came back looking happy and not the least bit worried.

“What happened?” Louis he asked, pulling him to his side by his waist.

“Nothing,” Harry giggled, “He just wanted to see if you’d like something for your birthday and who better than to ask his boyfriend for advice on that.”

Louis felt himself relax. “Thank god. I thought he figured out something about us.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “No one suspects a thing, Lou. Now it’s your birthday and enjoy it. So, start by asking me to dance.”

And Louis didn’t need to be told twice, laughing as he took Harry by the hand and led him to the dancefloor. What he didn’t expect was for Harry to throw around the craziest shapes as a pop song came up, putting no effort into staying on rhythm as long as he shook his ass.

“You’re an absolute nightmare,” Louis giggled as a slow song came up and he pulled him to his chest, making him sway to the soft beat.

“I do what I want,” Harry said simply, kissing his cheek before letting himself be swayed.

The rest of the night was a dream as well, with Mr. Fairbanks having a cake rolled out so the entire party could sing him happy birthday, and he’s pretty sure Harry was trying to sing the loudest. And he didn’t mind when the younger man planted a kiss on his lips in front of everyone, not having a care for who would see.

~

“Did you have a nice birthday?” Harry asked as he zipped himself into his new onesie. Louis thought he looked adorable in it and loved the way his perky bum looked in it as well. 

“The best one I’ve had in years,” Louis said softly, kissing him again as Harry got under the covers. “Thank you, baby.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr. Tomlinson,” he giggled, already unzipping his onesie so he could get a hand inside. Louis decided to lazily kiss him as Harry jacked him off slowly, quickly unzipping himself all the way once he had to come.

“Didn’t want you to ruin your new jammies,” Harry giggled as he came up, having swallowed him whole just seconds before as Louis caught his breath. With the way Harry was gazing at him, lips shining and a bit of his cum left in the corner of his mouth, Louis almost found himself saying the three words he never told anyone before. But no, he couldn’t be feeling that way for him. Not when their relationship was about to expire in a few days. Any signs he took as Harry possibly feeling the same way were just his natural charm and character, even though that’s what Louis happened to fall in love with. He wasn’t sure if his heart understood that at all, though.

“Come here,” he said instead, and deciding to lose himself in Harry’s warmth long into the night. A very happy birthday, and Christmas, indeed.

~

Harry’s woken up to many blowjobs in his lifetime, but Christmas morning with Louis Tomlinson’s mouth on him really had to take the cake. He was still wearing the onesie from last night, and his bum looked divine in the tightness of them.

“Special occasion?” he asked breathlessly.

Louis popped off him with a smile. “It’s Christmas, and I forgot to get you a gift, babe. Thought this would make up for it?”

“Well,” Harry giggled as his cock twitched, “continue to give away.”

They spent the remainder of Christmas morning in their matching onesies, giving each other pleasure until they fully stripped themselves of them. Louis eventually led him into the jacuzzi, enjoying the mutual slippery hand jobs under the bubbly water.

“Remember I have to go to the children’s hospital today,” Louis said as Harry dried his hair. “You can come along if you want.”

And Harry couldn’t think he could fall for him harder, remembering when he first told him about his plan. “Of course I’ll come with you,” he said as he kissed him. “Spending Christmas watching you with kids? As if I’d miss that.”

Louis gave him a playful eyeroll, “It’s not all that. I just want to give them some Christmas cheer when they can’t spend it at home.”

“And that’s what makes you so good,” Harry said softly.

~

Harry was all practically skipping with glee in his elf hat as he walked down the hallways of the hospital, red wagon in tow with all the gift baskets they were going to give to adults while Louis carried three sacks filled with toys. After making a comment about it earlier, Louis brought him to another floor so he could coo at all the newborns through the window, secretly hoping he could have his own one day as he watched them all sleeping peacefully.

Once they reached the floor they were assigned to, Harry smiled as he gave grateful nurses some gift baskets. After giving some to the parents as well, Harry felt proud that his wagon was almost done as Louis went from room to room dressed in his Santa suit, a pillow stuck into his suit to replicate the jolly old man. He loved how soft he got with them, often kneeling down at their eye level for the kids who were up and walking and taking a seat by the ones who were in bed.

And seeing the faces of pure joy from the small children was everything to Harry, and it only made him think of how Louis could be with his own children if he was willing to do this for strangers. And deep inside him, Harry wondered how he would be with children of their own, someday in the future. But he quickly shook his head of those feelings, adjusting his elf hat as he continued down the hallway to give more gift baskets.

Once they were done, the hospital staff got a picture with the two of them, thanking them for stopping by. And even though they were done, Louis refused to take off the hat and beard, even if he was hot underneath it.

“What if we see a kid on the way down?” he said in the lift. “I’m not going to ruin her illusion of Santa.”

“I guess,” Harry chuckled, suddenly remembering another thing he had to ask. “Where did you get this suit again?”

“Oh,” Louis chuckled as he wiped his brow. “Liam let me borrow it.”

“Could you borrow it for the night?” Harry asked innocently, twirling the end of his elf hat with a finger.

Louis arched an eyebrow. “Santa? Really?”

“Are you really surprised when you know what I do for a living?” Harry deadpanned. “Now will you be my Santa for the night or not?”

All the other man did was smirk at him, which only made Harry frown harder, and pouted all the way home when he didn’t get a sure answer. Luckily, once they were in the privacy of their hotel room, Louis did leave the costume on, and Harry rode his lap like his life depended on it.

“Happy Christmas, Louis,” he whispered against his neck as he caught his breath. Fucking on the sofa in front of a fireplace, while the snow fell outside their window, really made the moment more festive, but also romantic in a sense. He was used to his clients being romantic in the sense of being a showoff, but he never remembered having tender moments where they just… took each other in after sex. Or even laughed during sex like when Louis flung his hat and beard off because it messed up his kissing technique. Everything just felt different with Louis, and it saddened him to know it was coming to an end soon. Maybe he could convince him to hire him again, or something. Anything so he could see him again.

But for now, he just breathed in his nice smell of cologne and natural scent, letting it fill all of his senses.

“Happy Christmas, Harry,” he heard softly against him, and it just brought him peace all over.

~

For their last day in New York, Louis suggested they go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Mostly because he wanted to see if Harry was a good skater, and he just wanted to hold his hand while they did it. Luckily, Harry was a disastrous ice skater, no matter how hard he tried to say upright. Which meant Louis had to be his pillar of strength while holding on for dear life, and Louis was more than fine with it. He loved the man, and he didn’t mind being able to pretend while he still could.

They even had some hot chocolate once Harry had enough of almost falling, and they then took a cab to Central Park to walk around and enjoy the light snow fall. Louis was hesitant to hold his hand like that, but Harry eagerly took his once they started to walk along the trail.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked softly. He’d been wanting to ask him all day, and now seemed like the perfect time.

‘“Yeah?” Harry replied, swinging their joined hands slightly. He was wearing a red knit hat with a pom pom on the top, looking ever so festive with his green scarf.

“Did you enjoy this holiday? Like, compared to the other times you’ve been brought along like this?”

Still not facing him, Harry hummed in response. “I did. I’ll admit I didn’t think I was going to enjoy myself as much once you said your no sex rule, but that was just because I thought you’d end up being like those zero personality executives that just took all their frustrations out in the bedroom. I enjoyed being with you even when we weren’t physical, so I’d rank you as one of my top clients for sure.”

“Oh,” Louis nodded. He didn’t like that he had to be compared to his past clients like that, but at least Harry would have fond memories of him. “Do your clients treat you rough then?” He hated to think they’d be overstepping boundaries where Harry wasn’t even comfortable but had to bear it still.

“You may have noticed I had a couple of marks on me when I met you the first time,” Harry deadpanned, “and they weren’t because I was handled with care.”

“Oh,” Louis answered, thinking about how he manhandled him many times during their shags. Especially how red his bum was after he spanked him that one night. “I thought you liked it rough? I’m sorry if I’ve been-”

“No!” Harry cut him off. “I’ve never felt uncomfortable with you. The sex with you has been…” he paused, “yeah. You know. Amazing. You’ve never stepped over the line. I like pain while doing it but… I guess it’s just different from person to person. I never really felt the good burn I got when you bruised my arms from holding me down. I bruise like a peach,” he blushed, “but… I don’t know. I’m just rambling I guess, but I hope you get what I’m saying.”

“Okay,” Louis replied, feeling a bit relieved. He never wanted to think that Harry was actually uncomfortable with him, or else he would rectify that immediately.

“I should be thankful I get work like this,” Harry said suddenly. “Not everyone gets to make as much money as I do… doing what I do. I should be thankful for what I have.”

Louis frowned. He didn’t seem like he was. “But are you happy?” he asked earnestly. Because the more they talked about it, the more he got the feeling he wasn’t.

“I guess,” he sighed, snow falling on his nose. “I have all the money I could ever want. Never have to worry about bills and such. I have some friends that love what we do, and they seem happy.”

“You never said why you wouldn’t retire,” he said gently, squeezing his hand for support. He remembered their earlier conversation where the other man switched the subject, so he didn’t know whether or not he’d continue it or not.

“Well,” Harry coughed. “I… I don’t like being lonely. To put it simply. The money is good, and I don’t have to be alone.”

“What?” he asked, trying not to leave any hint of judgement in his tone.

“I like-” he swallowed. “I like having that one on one companionship. Especially when they’re treating me like their sugar baby, something they have to take care of for the night, they try to take care of me in ways they see fit, and it makes me feel good.”

“Why don’t you just find a boyfriend who will do that for you?” Because he’d be the first in line if Harry was looking.

The younger man simply laughed. “Who wants to date a guy who slept around for a living? I know body count doesn’t matter with the sex positivity movement and all that but come on. No one is going to want someone who’s been with over a hundred men.”

Louis frowned at that, realizing he was just as in love with him regardless of his work or how many men he’s slept with because of it. He didn’t even flinch at the number, and that’s how he knew he was way too far gone for him.

“You don’t know that until you start looking, babe,” Louis said instead. “The entire world isn’t that judgmental as you think it is.”

Harry scoffed. “Yeah right. If you told people your boyfriend worked as an escort once, don’t you think they’d judge you too? Who’s going to want to date a guy who got railed for a living?”

As he watched the hurt on his face as he spoke, Louis couldn’t help but feel sad for him. The boy with a heart of gold really thought he’d never find someone who’d love him back, and yet Louis was standing there as a testament to the reverse. But just because he did love him like that, didn’t mean Harry felt the same way. “I think not everyone has a right to know what you worked as,” he said simply, “and those who do know should respect it. Either way, I think you will find someone, love. Just wait on it.”

“I guess,” Harry said, taking a deep breath of the cold air. “But I’d like to get off this topic yeah? No need to depress us both.”

Louis squeezed his hand, giving him a soft smile. “Okay then. Want a hot pretzel to get our minds off it? He asked as he spotted a vendor.

“Yeah,” Harry smiled, “I’d like that.”

They then began to talk about the kind of toys Louis liked to design, Harry eagerly listening in to what he said. He didn’t like to talk about work that much (mostly because most found it boring) but seeing how Harry’s face lit up as he listened along, made all the talking worth it.

They went out to dinner, laughing and talking as if they were truly friends who had known each other for years. Louis tried to ignore the fact it felt like he’d known Harry in another lifetime, but it was true. Harry felt like a home in every way.

And as he watched Harry sleep that night, his curls in a halo across his pillow, lashes fanned out in peaceful slumber, he realized Harry was going to take a piece of his heart when he left. It’s not like he could fall for him like Louis currently was, wanting to wake up every morning to his face, cook him breakfast, have sex, then spend the rest of their lives together. But being the optimist he was, he thought about what Harry had said in the park: he’s lonely, and that’s why he won’t retire. And worried he’d never have a boyfriend because of his work. Yet Louis never cared about any of that while he was with him, even before they started sleeping together. Harry was the perfect partner he always wanted, and like he told himself so many times, he truly wished they did meet under different circumstances. Because if he had met him at a coffee shop or a library or literally anywhere else, he didn’t give a damn about what he did for a living. As long as he came home to him and loved him for him.

Harry truly had his heart, and it hurt knowing he didn’t even know he possessed it.

~

Louis woke up that morning with Harry in his arms, just as they did every morning since they started sleeping together, and he just felt the sadness inside him grow as he realized it was going to be for the last time. Given that their flight was at noon and it was only seven in the morning, he decided to lie awake like that as long as he could. He tried to take mental screenshots as well, saving them for his private use later, when he wanted to remember their time together.

He suddenly felt Harry’s bum slowly rub against his crotch though, and he decided to fully enjoy their last time in bed together. He started to rub Harry’s nipples through his shirt, loving the feel of them getting hard and perky under his fingertips. He heard a low moan at the base of Harry’s throat when he gently pinched them. His hand then traveled down to his stomach, rubbing soft circles once he put his hand up his shirt, loving how warm his skin felt. After a few minutes, his hand slipped under the waistband of his flannel bottoms, grazing the hair down there.

Harry must’ve been awake by then, because he heard his breath hitch as Louis gripped his cock.

“Good morning,” he whispered against his throat, sucking a love bite into his skin.

“Good morning,” Harry panted out. “Don’t stop. Please.”

Before he knew it, all of their night clothes were flung of their bodies and off the bed, leaving only their warm skin touching as Louis grabbed some lube and opened him up again, fucking him hard into the mattress.

They were a panting mess as they both came down from their highs, a tangle of limbs as Louis held onto him. “You’re just amazing,” he whispered into his mouth, morning breath be damned. “Just amazing.”

“Right back at you, Lou,” Harry replied softly, kissing him again.

After a while, they both realized they had to finish packing and get to the airport before they missed their flights, quietly going through their morning routine as they did so. Louis felt like confessing his feelings then but hesitated just as he was about to. A voice at the back of his mind just kept telling him Harry wouldn’t feel the same, and he was just imagining things. Self-preservation got the best of him.

Even when they were already at the airport, and Harry was looking at him which such fondness in his eyes, Louis got some hope that he could feel the same, but still. It was just hope. At least he got to watch Harry sleep on his shoulder again on the plane, Louis not even remembering what movie he was pretending to watch as he looked at Harry instead.

The anxiety of leaving him was getting to him once they landed at Heathrow, his heart beating so loud he just knew Harry could hear it.

“Are you alright, Lou?” Harry whispered as he woke up, voice ever so soft. “You look like you’re about to throw up.”

“Yeah,” he gulped. “The turbulence just got to me. That’s all.”

They said goodbye to Mr. Fairbanks and the rest of Louis’ co-workers as they exited the plane, almost all of them hugging Harry goodbye. Louis didn’t know how he was going to tell them that this would be the last time they’d see Harry anyways, but he had his own heart to deal with as well.

Once they were at baggage claim and got all their bags, that’s when the final dread set into his chest.

“I guess this is goodbye then,” Harry said, looking down at his carry on.

_Will I see you again? Do you think there’s a possibility of us getting together? Can I take you out on an actual date where I don’t have to pay you? Do you think you could love me the way I helplessly fell for you?_

That’s what Louis wanted to say, but all he could get out was, “Yeah,” with a nod. “This is it.”

Maybe he should just put his heart out there. What’s the worst that could happen? Harry laughing at him for even thinking he could feel the same? They’d still have to go their separate ways anyway. Might as well make it worth it.

But just as Louis was summoning the courage to confess his feelings while ignoring his self-preservation, a voice cut in.

“Excuse me?” They both turned to see a man approach them. He was dressed in a suit, like a regular businessman just coming back from a work trip, not a holiday. “Are you Edward Granger?”

Louis blinked, trying to realize what was happening. That must’ve been one of the fake names Harry used.

“Y-yeah?” Harry answered, chewing at his lower lip.

“I’m incredibly sorry for being this informal but,” he sighed. “I have heard of your services through a friend and was just wondering if you would be available any time soon.”

Oh. Harry was getting another client already. Shit.

The younger man turned to face him; his eyes wide as he looked at Louis. “Should I?” he asked softly.

This was where Louis had to confess but seeing that Harry was already set to leave him, his courage vanished into thin air. “Yes,” he responded and instantly regretted it.

He thought he saw Harry’s shoulders slump as well, but he tried to ignore it. “Alright then. Goodbye, Mr. Tomlinson,” he said simply and walked away with the man, already talking in a happy tone. Louis was a total idiot.

~

“You know,” Niall said. “I don’t know how you get back from a trip with someone like Harry and you’re moping because of it. Wait – did he even call himself Harry?”

Louis was back at the office on Saturday, feeling heartbroken as ever. Mr. Fairbanks had offered them a bonus if they wanted to come in for work to catch up on things before the new year, so Louis gladly took up the offer to distract himself from his misery. At least Niall had told him that Mitch asked Sarah out, and they had a date set up for New Years Eve. “What?” he grumbled. “His name was Harry Styles. That’s all I know.”

“Styles?” Niall gasped. “Shit, he rarely gives out his full name like that. Was it after you finally slept together? Is your dick really that good?”

“The fuck are you on?” Louis huffed. “He told me his name at the airport. Way before we slept together.”

Niall frowned. “That’s weird. Can’t remember the last time he told his full name to a client that early.”

Louis tried to think none of it. “Yeah, well,” he said simply, going through his papers again.

“How much did he charge you?”

“Why is that any of your business, Ni,” he asked without turning to him.

“Because I like knowing.”

Leave it to Niall to be an open snoop when he wanted to be. “My email is open on the computer,” he said. “Just look at the receipt he emailed me yesterday.” Louis didn’t even bother opening it once he saw it in his inbox. He wanted to forget the fact the one time he fell in love was with an escort that didn’t love him back.

“You told me you slept together, liar,” Niall grumbled.

“Unless there was someone else sucking my cock the morning on my birthday, I can assure you we slept together.”

“Well the idiot didn’t charge you for it then,” Niall answered as he scrolled through. “I only see the basic fee you told me about before.”

“What?” he frowned, walking over to look at the email. And sure enough, the extra two thousand Harry claimed his sex was worth wasn’t added to the bill. “So he made a mistake then?”

“Harry was always great at maths, Lou. No way he made a mistake.”

Louis felt his pulse quicken. Why the hell didn’t Harry charge him for it? Was he just full of it? Or was there a meaning behind not charging him for it? “Should I call him to ask?” he swallowed.

Before Niall could reply, the phone on his desk rang. With a sigh, he picked it up after two rings. “Hello?”

“Louis?” came the familiar voice of Jade. “Hope you had a Happy Christmas! Mr. Fairbanks would like to see you in office at your earliest convenience.”

“What for?” he coughed, looking over at Niall.

“I don’t know,” she paused. “But he said it’s very important. Just get up here!” and the phone went dead.

“Do you think he figured out I lied and that Harry is an escort?”

“Oh stop with that,” Niall said with an eyeroll. “Liam and Zayn told me you two sold your relationship perfectly and nobody suspected a thing for the entire time.”

“I guess,” he said as he shrugged his jacket on. “Care to walk with me then?”

“Sure,” the Irishman replied.

They walked in silence until they reached the lift, Liam stepping out once the doors opened. “Oh hi, lads!” he grinned. “Going up?”

Louis nodded. “Fairbanks wants to see me for some reason.”

“I know,” he smiled. “I got Jade to tell me what it was when I left some folders up there earlier. You’re going to love it, Lou.”

“What?” he frowned as Niall pushed him into the lift.

“You’ll never know until you go talk with him, Lou,” he said as he pushed the button for the floor and got out to stand with Liam. “Safe travels!”

Normally, Louis would be bubbling with excitement to see what kind of good news he’d be getting, but nothing could improve his mood since he got back to London. He just needed some Harry, if he was honest.

Jade wasn’t at her desk as he walked into the office, probably because she’d spoil whatever news Mr. Fairbanks wanted to tell him. Instead of waiting around, he walked up to the closed door and knocked twice. “Sir?”

“Come in, Louis!” he heard Mr. Fairbanks say.

The old man was sitting at his desk already, gesturing for him to take a seat once he walked in.

“Good morning, sir,” Louis said as he sat down.

“Good morning to you as well,” he replied. “You may be wondering why I called you up here today.”

“I won’t lie and say I’m not,” Louis chuckled, hoping to get this over so he could go back to moping in his office.

Mr. Fairbanks cleared his throat before he began. “Mr. Tomlinson, you’ve given a lot to this company ever since you started working here five years ago. I consider my employees to be like family to me, and being the selfless person that you are, it makes me very happy to have someone like you working for me.”

Louis was happy to hear it, but he really wanted to know where this was going.

“I wanted to give you something special for your birthday, given that you are a Christmas child as well, but you insisted that we give you nothing and I wanted to respect that. But then I had a talk with your boyfriend and I think I can give you something you truly deserve.”

Louis frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He told me that you have a children’s book you’ve been working on for awhile… something about rainbow bears?”

Louis didn’t want to mention that Harry already had drawings for them, and some in bondage gear, so he let him continue. “Yes,” he coughed, “it’s just a hobby I had on the side that was inspired by working with toys, sir.”

“Well,” Mr. Fairbanks smiled, “I think it’s a wonderful idea! In fact, I pitched the idea to a editor friend I have over at Random House and they loved it! If you agree to do it, they’d love to publish it for you. And since you are a valued executive here, I think it would be perfect if we design some rainbow bears to sell in our stores. Some proceeds can even go to charity, if you wish, but I do think this would be a splendid idea for both you and the company.”

This was too much to process, and Louis suddenly had the urge to cry. Harry did that for him. It never even occurred to him to ask Mr. Fairbanks about his book idea, but Harry had one conversation with the man and suddenly his dream would actually come true? No. He had to be dreaming.

“Wow,” he breathed out, feeling his voice shake a bit. “This is a lot to take in. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Fairbanks.”

“Oh don’t thank me, my boy,” the old man chuckled. “You didn’t need to thank me when your boyfriend gave us the idea. I think you have him to thank the most.”

Louis was planning on telling him that he and Harry had “broken up”, but he decided he’s wait until after the new year. Better for Louis to be almost over him so telling people wouldn’t be so difficult.

“Thank you again, sir,” he smiled as he got up from his seat. “I’ll be sure to thank him as well.”

And as Louis rode the lift down, he suddenly knew what he had to do.

~

As much as he’d like to convince himself otherwise, Harry would’ve retired for Louis. Simple as that. He would’ve given his mini empire of kinky middle aged men and all the riches that came with it up for Louis. Because he finally found the man he wanted to settle down with, and now he was just kicking himself for letting him go.

But he might as well have; who could fall in love with a man who sleeps with other men for a living? Harry knew he was worthy of love, like Louis said, but maybe not Louis’ love. He was given every opportunity to tell him he felt something, but he didn’t. Which meant he felt nothing for him, and that just broke his heart all together.

It was 11 PM on a Sunday night, and instead of taking up the offers of the multiple men that had been texting him since he got back from New York, he decided to stay in and mope while eating ice cream directly from the tub and watch Notting Hill.

“Niall?” he murmured as he picked up.

“Haz? Sorry if I woke you or anything but I just needed to ask you something.”

Moping in bed counted as an activity correct? “I’ve been awake,” he sighed, looking over at the clock on the end table.

“Oh,” Niall answered. “With a client?”

Harry wanted to snort at that. He ended up declining anything soon with the man who picked him up at the airport, just keeping him in his contacts to tell him when he’d be available. “You’re funny,” he deadpanned.

“Well if you’re not busy I was wondering if you’d be available to work New Years Eve?”

Harry looked over at the whimsical duck calendar that was tacked on one of his corkboards. “You mean Tuesday?”

“I have a friend flying in and he just got his heartbroken so I thought you’d be able to help?”

Harry could feel his heart breaking at the thought of having to sleep with someone that wasn’t Louis, but he had to get back to work somehow. Might as well ring in the new year getting fucked out of his mind while trying to forget about Louis. And Niall wouldn’t be recommending him a really bad guy if his last reference was anything to go by.

“Yeah I guess,” he grumbled. “What does he look like?”

Niall paused for a moment. “I leave that as a surprise, but I do think you’d like him.”

“Great,” he sighed. “I’ll see him then.”

~

Tuesday night came dreadfully slowly. Harry spent his days moping as if he was sick, but his soul just needed a rest from the heartbreak. That’s why on Tuesday, he got up from bed around noon and went for a run, hoping that would energize him for the night. He took a long bath afterwards, getting his muscles relaxed and pliant for whatever his client wanted to do tonight. He used one of his expensive bath bombs and sat in the jacuzzi for what felt like a century. Once he felt semi-relaxed, he got out and started to do his skincare routine, applying all his high end lotions and creams.

Letting his hair air dry, he went to his closet and picked out one of his skimpiest outfits: a low-cut mustard colored blouse that almost exposed his nipples. He heard from somewhere that wearing yellow on new years eve was considered good luck, so he put on the outfit as he got the rest of his makeup on.

Once nine o clock hit, he decided he looked ready enough and put on his winter coat, making sure all the lights of his flat were off before he left. “See you next year,” he called out to no one, almost giggling to himself at the joke.

Niall had texted him the address along with a clean test result, so Harry was ready to let loose for the night. He needed to forget about Louis as much as he could and needed to remind himself to never fall for a client ever again.

Maybe he was lucky and this client would look similar to Louis though, so it would help getting over him easier. After all, there’s nothing like sex with your ex. At least that’s what some of his other friends said.

A cab left him in front of a tall building. He tried to remember if he had been there before, since it looked familiar, but he didn’t care that much. He was trying to get laid and get some cash for it. After this, he was booking his flight to Bora Bora and staying there for a month.

Once he was at the right floor and tripled checked the door number, he knocked on the door, but realized it was already slightly open.

“Come in,” came a familiar voice, and muscle memory just had him stumbling over himself as he rushed inside. It couldn’t be.

“Shit,” Harry breathed out. But it was.

All the lights were turned out inside the flat, expect for the fireplace and the lights on the Christmas tree. And sitting on the floor on what looked to be a plush blanket, was the man of his dreams. “Louis?” he whispered, walking towards him.

The older man smiled softly, and Harry felt his insides melt away.

“You did this?” he asked aloud. “You’re my client tonight?”

Louis nodded, looking ever so soft. "You didn't charge me extra."

Harry felt himself blushing, hoping Louis would notice and say something if he did. Which... he hoped this was about. "Didn't feel like charging you for it," he swallowed as he looked around the beautifully decorated room. "So what's all this for?"

“Didn’t want to be alone for New Years Eve,” Louis said lightheartedly, and then Harry’s insides cooled into a hard wax. So that’s all he was? Just someone he could call up when he didn’t want to be alone? No. He deserved more than that. Other clients, sure. But not from the one who owned his heart. He needed some sense of self preservation.

“So I’m just here to keep you company when you’re lonely?” he asked aloud, not bothering to keep a smile up. Well, that basically was his job description. But he couldn’t just be the call boy for the man he loved.

“No!” Louis rushed out, standing up in a flash and walking towards him. “No, love,” he said softly once he stood in front of him, taking both of his hands in his. Harry was pretty sure his insides were warm again. “It’s never like that with you.”

“What do you mean?” he murmured, not wanting to break how beautiful this moment was. He had missed how wonderful his hands felt.

“Harry, I fell for you in New York. Those days we had together were more exciting than the six months I spent with my ex-boyfriend. And we didn’t even sleep together for half of it.”

Oh, he was definitely dreaming. “What are you getting at?” Harry whispered, eyes wide.

“I’m just trying to say that,” he sighed, “I don’t want you just for tonight, but I want you forever. Start a family, all that. With you. I don’t care if you’ve slept with every eligible bachelor in England, or the world for that matter. I just want to be the last. If that’s what you want.”

And with that, tears started rolling down his cheeks, mascara running a bit as well. Luckily Louis had tissues on hand and lightly patted his cheeks down before kissing him gently on the nose.

“And just to prove how serious I am,” he walked over near the tree, pulling back a blanket.

“Oh shit,” Harry gasped with a sniffle, looking down at the beautiful creature. A kitten, with a bow wrapped around its neck, was currently sleeping soundly under the tree, its black fur gleaming in the light from the tree. It couldn’t have been more than four months old. “Who’s that?”

“Our new kitten,” Louis smiled.

“But-”

“You said you hated when people gave pets as gifts right? Well, I’ve never been more serious about starting a life with you, and Snickers is only the start of that journey.”

“Snickers?” Harry squealed, heart beating with joy now. “Oh god. How lovely. And if I had said no?”

“Well I still would’ve kept her,” Louis sighed. “But you haven’t exactly said yes either, Harry Styles.”

He didn’t bother to answer, instead launching himself on Louis and capturing his mouth with his. “Yes, Louis Tomlinson,” he whispered against his lips. “I want to be with you the rest of my life.”

Louis eased them down onto the plush blanket, letting Harry straddle him as they continued to softly kiss. There was no urgency behind it, no rush to finish because they had no time. No, Harry knew they had all the time in the world, and took his time exploring Louis’ mouth with his tongue. He missed how intoxicating his scent was, how it managed to penetrate every pore of him and make him smell like him even if he wasn’t there. He missed all of Louis, and he was so happy he never had to deal with him being gone again.

“You’re the perfect reason to retire,” he said softly, pulling back to meet his bright blue eyes.

“Really?” Louis asked. “I wasn’t going to ask you to-”

“I know you wouldn’t,” he said gently, putting a finger to his lips. “But I’ve been looking for a good reason to stop and having a life with you is everything I’ve been looking for. I’m not going to feel lonely when I have you around, and I don’t need to work like that if I have you. I’ve got all the money I need, so I’ll happily settle into the life of a housewife that I’ve always wanted to be.”

Louis kissed the finger that was pressed against his lips, lightly capturing his wrist with one hand to bring it down. “Do you really mean that, baby?” the older man asked softly.

“Yeah,” Harry sniffled, feeling the steady beat of Louis' heart against his palm. “I might even go back to school or something, but I just want to be with you.”

“And you’ll have me for as long as you want,” Louis whispered, kissing him deeply again.

It drove Harry wild to feel the way Louis undressed him with such tenderness, kissing every new inch of skin that was revealed. “Are we really going to fuck right here?” Harry moaned into his mouth as he felt Harry grow hard under him.

“I remember a naughty boy saying he wanted to be fucked in front of a fireplace,” Louis grinned. “So I thought I’d make that happen.”

And that just made Harry’s heart burst. “I knew you’d be the king that could handle me,” he sighed happily as Louis started to kiss the underside of his jaw. Being in Louis’ arms was pure paradise, and he never felt like leaving.

And, well, he did get fucked into the new year. Might as well start the new decade off right.

~

“You know,” Harry giggled, “if you’re going to blindfold me in my own home, I’d rather it be while I’m naked and tied to the bed.”

Louis couldn’t help but laugh at the remark, and could see Harry’s smug smirk on his face. It was two weeks into 2020, and Louis had something he needed to celebrate, besides how wonderful their relationship has been. Snickers was growing into a feisty kitten, and they decided they’d get her a playmate soon so she could have a friend to grow with. Every time he saw Harry playing with her though, with a soft voice and a smile so big his dimples popped out, he just thought of what he would be like with their own children. And they both knew they couldn’t wait for that. “Hush you,” he replied. “I’m trying to be romantic.”

“You’re always romantic, Lou,” he gigged. “And kinky, which is definitely a plus, by the way. Can I at least open my eyes now?”

Louis arranged a few more things on the table, and looked it all over with a satisfied nod. “Okay,” he ordered. “Take it off. And just your blindfold!” He knew Harry well enough by now to know how literal he tried to take things when it suited him. He watched as Harry untied the scarf, eyes adjusting to the light.

“Oh,” he said softly as he looked around. “You made me dinner?”

“Chicken risotto. To be eaten by candlelight,” Louis smiled as he started to light the candles, walking over to turn off the lights afterward.

“So this is why Zayn and Liam took me shopping for the afternoon?” Harry grinned as Louis pulled out his seat for him. Louis was over the moon that Harry was able to get along so well with his best friends and loved that they had no problem taking Harry out while he prepared his surprise dinner. “What’s the occasion?”

“I need to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For what you said to Mr. Fairbanks?”

“Oh?”

Louis sat down across from him, reaching over to take both of his hands into his while he looked into his eyes. “I didn’t want to say anything until I went to meet the publishing agent,” he coughed, “and I had a meeting with them the other day. I’m getting a book deal from a friend of his to publish the rainbow bears book.”

Harry dropped his jaw as he squeezed his hands. “What?”

“And that’s all thanks to you, darling. He loved that you told him about my idea, and did everything he could so I could have a chance of publishing it.”

“Oh, Lou,” he whispered, eyes shining in the candlelight. “So you’re going to be an author?”

“Yes,” he smiled widely, “and Mr. Fairbanks has offered to produce a line of stuffed rainbow bears that go along with the book and half of the proceeds will go to any charity of our choice.”

“Our?” Harry frowned slightly with a smile. “I hardly did anything, Lou. That’s all up to you.”

“Oh no,” Louis grinned. “I’m not done. I also want you to illustrate the book.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Stop fucking with me, Louis.”

“I’m not!” he laughed. “They asked me if I had an idea for an illustrator and after I showed them your little sketches of the bears they thought you’d be perfect! And when I mentioned you’re my boyfriend, well, they thought it would be adorable if a gay couple was behind a children’s story about gay bears.”

And with that, Harry got up from the table and marched over to Louis, having him turn so he can sit on his lap. He buried his face into his neck, Louis hearing the quiet sobs as he cried softly.

“I’m going to assume those are tears of joy?” he asked gently.

“Of course!” Harry sniffed as he sat back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “I never thought I’d get to use my art degree like this, much less on your dream book! I’m just so ugh-” he wiped his face again with his jumper, “I’m just so happy, Lou. I’ve never been this happy before.”

Louis could feel his heart bursting, because if there was one goal in life he set for himself while he was with Harry, was to keep a smile on his face all the time. And he enjoyed finding out all the ways he could do that. “I plan to keep it that way, darling.”

“Can my pen name be Harry Edward Tomlinson?” the other man asked suddenly, perking up as he stared at him.

“Why?” he asked with chuckle. “We’re not even married yet.” And he had no problem saying “yet” because he knew that would be something they’d do together in the likely future. No doubt about that.

“The irony of a gay book being written by a gay man with the initial H.E.T,” the younger man grinned

And that made Louis throw his head back in laughter, Harry giggling as he kissed him along his neck while he stopped laughing. “Whatever you want, baby. Whatever you want.”

“Thank you then,” he whispered against his lips, giving him a deep kiss.

They sat like that for a long time, just basking in their shared happiness in silence as they continued to kiss. “I want to take you star gazing next week,” Louis said after a while, panting a bit.

“In this cold?” Harry gasped, already pouting. “I’m going to freeze!”

“All the more reason you stay cuddled up to me,” Louis giggled as he kissed his neck.

“Fine,” Harry giggled. “But at least let me point out the good constellations before you fuck me.”

“I’d let you do anything you heart desires, love” he said as he kissed again. “Anything your heart desires.” Because finding happiness with Harry was exactly what Louis imagined heaven was like. Perfect in every way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated :) Fic post [here](https://softfonds.tumblr.com/post/189456766638/lovin-you-is-a-gift).


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